Social Justice News, 12-08-06
Hey everybody,
This is going to be a rather abbreviated newsletter, I’m afraid. It’s also late because I thought today was Friday and it turns out its Saturday so I’m up writing. I probably won’t get it sent out until Sunday sometime, so my apologies for that as well. I’ve been working 9 and 10 hour days at the new job and studying for finals, so I haven’t had as much time as I’d have liked to write this.
GOOD NEWS
Away from the Landfill: This group is tackling the huge problem of electronic waste one old computer at a time!
http://content.hamptonroads.com/story.cfm?story=115409&ran=63053
CLIMATE CHANGE
Calculating the Value of Your Grandkids: I ain’t kidding. They’re talking about how to value your grandkids and their future lives/comfort/etc versus your own immediate gratification. Yep –that’s what we should do. Calculate the value of the future of the entire human race.
http://www.economist.com/agenda/displayStory.cfm?story_id=8374354&fsrc=RSS
Famines Ahead: Agriculutral researchers across the world are predicting that famines are coming along with global warming if new strains of crops aren’t found that can take the heat. The warming is expected to drop the harvests in some places by as much as half. Since we currently don’t produce enough food to adequately feed everyone, the results of this are clear.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/6200114.stm
POLITICS
My Half-Assed Job: An Onion piece (it’s satire) about Rumsfeld, which hits really close to the bone!
http://www.thenation.com/doc/20061120/rumsfeld
Your Terrorism Rating: Do you know what it is? Nope. You’re not allowed to know. DHS is now rating every person on a terrorism scale. You can’t see it, there is no appeal, and it stays on your ‘record’ for 40 years! (Oh yeah, and they can share it with contractors, etc too.) And another gross violation of freedom –starting next year, all travelers have to have permission to enter and leave the country.
http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/Terrorism/wireStory?id=2691467
Airport Body X-Rays: Nope, this also isn’t a joke. They’ve started installing full body x-ray machines in certain airports, ones that can see right through your clothing. Now, the software is supposed to ‘cover up’ the um, private areas, but we all know how enterprising young software nerds can change things to their advantage. At any rate, as far as I’m concerned, my entire body is private!
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20061201/ap_on_re_us/airport_x_ray_screening
POLLUTION
Eggs in Male Fish: And other problems. The cause? Hormone altering chemicals dumped into the environment. Are humans at risk too? Look at the soaring rates of cancer, infertility, and other problems. Of course, industry says the two have nothing to do with each other. Maybe. But I’ll bet the day human men start developing eggs that the environment will get cleaned up real quick!
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/12/03/AR2006120300992.html
22 Years This Week: It has been a full 22 years since the Bhopal chemical plant disaster –and the people who did it still haven’t faced justice.
http://www.commondreams.org/views06/1205-21.htm
ENVIRONMENT
Dare Not to Shop: A clarion call challenging us all to consume less.
http://www.commondreams.org/views06/1204-26.htm
OTHER
Creepy Visa Commercial: Okay, some might not find this creepy, but I did. The message in this commercial is clear –using cash is bad bad bad. The subliminal message is also that it makes the system slow down and is clearly “un-American”. As is anything different these days. Here’s an even more radical idea than paying for your lunch in cash –brown bag it!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FDTDgVgQ9ic&eurl=
Underground City for Sale: I’m including this for the sole reason that it falls into the category of surreal. The Brits built this complete underground city in the 1950s to house the Queen and government in the event of a nuclear war. Now it’s for sale. This begs the question: if they could build a complete underground city in the 1950s, what in the world have they got now?
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,2087-1849406,00.html
Website of the Week: Mother Earth News: http://www.motherearthnews.com/
UU Joke of the Week: The clergy in other denominations have a hard time figuring us out.
One time at an ecumenical service the Episcopal rector said, "Let us pray. And for you Unitarians, do whatever it is you do."
Have a good weekend everybody!
-Rebecca
This is going to be a rather abbreviated newsletter, I’m afraid. It’s also late because I thought today was Friday and it turns out its Saturday so I’m up writing. I probably won’t get it sent out until Sunday sometime, so my apologies for that as well. I’ve been working 9 and 10 hour days at the new job and studying for finals, so I haven’t had as much time as I’d have liked to write this.
GOOD NEWS
Away from the Landfill: This group is tackling the huge problem of electronic waste one old computer at a time!
http://content.hamptonroads.com/story.cfm?story=115409&ran=63053
CLIMATE CHANGE
Calculating the Value of Your Grandkids: I ain’t kidding. They’re talking about how to value your grandkids and their future lives/comfort/etc versus your own immediate gratification. Yep –that’s what we should do. Calculate the value of the future of the entire human race.
http://www.economist.com/agenda/displayStory.cfm?story_id=8374354&fsrc=RSS
Famines Ahead: Agriculutral researchers across the world are predicting that famines are coming along with global warming if new strains of crops aren’t found that can take the heat. The warming is expected to drop the harvests in some places by as much as half. Since we currently don’t produce enough food to adequately feed everyone, the results of this are clear.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/6200114.stm
POLITICS
My Half-Assed Job: An Onion piece (it’s satire) about Rumsfeld, which hits really close to the bone!
http://www.thenation.com/doc/20061120/rumsfeld
Your Terrorism Rating: Do you know what it is? Nope. You’re not allowed to know. DHS is now rating every person on a terrorism scale. You can’t see it, there is no appeal, and it stays on your ‘record’ for 40 years! (Oh yeah, and they can share it with contractors, etc too.) And another gross violation of freedom –starting next year, all travelers have to have permission to enter and leave the country.
http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/Terrorism/wireStory?id=2691467
Airport Body X-Rays: Nope, this also isn’t a joke. They’ve started installing full body x-ray machines in certain airports, ones that can see right through your clothing. Now, the software is supposed to ‘cover up’ the um, private areas, but we all know how enterprising young software nerds can change things to their advantage. At any rate, as far as I’m concerned, my entire body is private!
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20061201/ap_on_re_us/airport_x_ray_screening
POLLUTION
Eggs in Male Fish: And other problems. The cause? Hormone altering chemicals dumped into the environment. Are humans at risk too? Look at the soaring rates of cancer, infertility, and other problems. Of course, industry says the two have nothing to do with each other. Maybe. But I’ll bet the day human men start developing eggs that the environment will get cleaned up real quick!
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/12/03/AR2006120300992.html
22 Years This Week: It has been a full 22 years since the Bhopal chemical plant disaster –and the people who did it still haven’t faced justice.
http://www.commondreams.org/views06/1205-21.htm
ENVIRONMENT
Dare Not to Shop: A clarion call challenging us all to consume less.
http://www.commondreams.org/views06/1204-26.htm
OTHER
Creepy Visa Commercial: Okay, some might not find this creepy, but I did. The message in this commercial is clear –using cash is bad bad bad. The subliminal message is also that it makes the system slow down and is clearly “un-American”. As is anything different these days. Here’s an even more radical idea than paying for your lunch in cash –brown bag it!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FDTDgVgQ9ic&eurl=
Underground City for Sale: I’m including this for the sole reason that it falls into the category of surreal. The Brits built this complete underground city in the 1950s to house the Queen and government in the event of a nuclear war. Now it’s for sale. This begs the question: if they could build a complete underground city in the 1950s, what in the world have they got now?
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,2087-1849406,00.html
Website of the Week: Mother Earth News: http://www.motherearthnews.com/
UU Joke of the Week: The clergy in other denominations have a hard time figuring us out.
One time at an ecumenical service the Episcopal rector said, "Let us pray. And for you Unitarians, do whatever it is you do."
Have a good weekend everybody!
-Rebecca
posted by RAS at 12/10/2006 06:30:00 PM
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home