Lauren Steiner writes on California’s insufficient move to regulate fracking with SB 4, sponsored by State Representative Fran Pavley: “Worse than having no regulations, weak regulations provide political cover to legislators who could otherwise be pressured to vote for a moratorium on the practice.” Tell Fran Pavley to withdraw her bad regulatory bill and fight for a fracking ban instead!
Recent Posts
“Sustainable” Palm Oil Conference Condones Honduran Land Conflicts
International environmental and human rights campaigners condemn the 4th Latin American Palm Oil Conference to be held by the Round Table on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO) in Honduras on 6th-8th August. The site of deadly conflicts over land rights with alarming impacts to ecosystems and communities, sustainably produced palm oil in this Central American country is impossible. The World Wildlife Fund among other sponsors, are charged with greenwashing and condoning human rights abuses.
Detroit Follows Cyprus: Make Pensioners Pay for Bankruptcy
Ellen Brown writes on how the Detroit bankruptcy seeks to sacrifice pensioners to pay off the big banks, appearing like the “bail-in” template pushed upon Cyprus which restructured their insolvent banks using depositors funds while sparing those from other banks and governments. Stephen Colbert sums up the situation with some levity as Detroit fights its way back to solvency.
Vittorio De Sica: The Alienated Unemployed in “Bicycle Thieves”
Bicycle Thieves (Italian: Ladri di biciclette), also known as The Bicycle Thief, is director Vittorio De Sica’s 1948 story of a poor father searching post-World War II Rome for his stolen bicycle, without which he will lose the job which was to be the salvation of his young family.
Ashanti of Ghana: How Spider Obtained the Sky-God’s Stories
Anansi, the trickster from the folktales of the Ashanti of West Africa, takes the shape of a spider who goes to the sky god to buy his stories to share with the world. Anansi’s stories would become popular through the African diaspora all over the Caribbean and southern US. Here is an animated retelling called “Anansi and the Stories of the Sky God.”
BaVenda of South Africa: How Animals Got Their Color
The BaVenda (also known as Venda), a Bantu tribe living in Southern Africa, tell a traditional myth about how the meerkat gave all the animals their special colors.
Yellow Grease Biodiesel: A Clean, Renewable Fuel Alternative
Biodiesel, a cleaner renewable alternative to fossil diesel, can be made from any vegetable oil, but best using waste cooking oil. It’s use is growing across the US in 5 to 20 percent blends.