(By James Ayre) Wind Farms Blow Away Old Criticism — Research Shows That Wind Turbines Remain Productive For Up To 25 Years (via Clean Technica) While wind energy has become an increasingly common development choice in recent years, there has been some criticism of the technology — of particular interest in that regard was a […]
Judge: All right for NYPD to spy on Muslim-Americans; not all right for Journalists to reveal it
(By Sarah Lazare) A federal judge ruled Thursday that the NYPD's secret spying on Muslims in schools, restaurants, and mosques with no evidence of wrongdoing is perfectly legal, and it was the media's exposure of this surveillance that was the real cause of harm. The decision prompted outcry from civil rights and racial justice advocates. […]
Falk: Edward Said was the Palestinians’ Nelson Mandela
(By Andrew Sondern) Princeton professor emeritus talks Palestinian nationalism in speech at university (via NJ.com) By Andrew Sondern Richard Falk, a professor emeritus of international law at Princeton University and the United Nations Special Rapporteur on human rights in the Palestinian territories occupied since 1967, is no stranger to controversy. On the same… ———– […]
The Dark State: Snowden’s Revelations on Secret Gov’t Surveillance are the Tip of the Iceberg
(By Tom Engelhardt) Intelligence officials have weighed in with an estimate of just how many secret files National Security Agency contractor Edward Snowden took with him when he headed for Hong Kong last June. Brace yourself: 1.7 million. At least they claim that as the number he or his web crawler accessed before he left town. Let’s assume […]
Egypt Gov’t, Clueless on Journalism, Charges 20 Aljazeera Reporters with “Terrorism” for … Conducting Interviews
(By Joe Stork) (Beirut) – Egyptian authorities in recent months have demonstrated almost zero tolerance for any form of dissent, arresting and prosecuting journalists, demonstrators, and academics for peacefully expressing their views. Prosecutors on January 29, 2014, referred three Al Jazeera English journalists to trial on politicized charges such as disseminating “false information” and belonging […]
America still has a Torture Problem: 4 Reasons Why
(By Rebecca Gordon) Shortly after his first inauguration in 2009, President Obama issued an executive order forbidding torture and closing the CIA’s so-called “black sites.” But the order didn’t end “extraordinary rendition” – the practice of sending prisoners to other countries to be tortured. (This is actually illegal under the U.N. Convention against Torture, which […]
A Bridge to Nowhere: Up to 75% more Deadly Methane emitted by Natural Gas Drilling than Estimated
(By Andrea Germanos) The amount of methane leaking from natural gas emissions is far higher than previously estimated, a new study shows, more evidence, as one expert says, that urgent action must be taken to reduce these greenhouse gas emissions. The findings, based on a review of over 200 previous studies, was published Friday in […]
Manufactured Wars, Manufactured Military History
(By Nick Turse) It’s 2053 — 20 years since you needed a computer, tablet, or smart phone to go online. At least, that’s true in the developed world: you know, China, India, Brazil, and even some parts of the United States. Cybernetic eye implants allow you to see everything with a digital overlay. And once […]
Is Israel imposing Sanctions on Palestinian Universities? Repeated Incursions at al-Quds U Raise Concerns at Brandeis, Bard
(By Matt Rocheleau) Clashes between Israeli forces, students at Palestinian university sparks concern at Brandeis (via boston.com) (Al-Quds Educational TV / YouTube) By Matt Rocheleau, Boston.com Staff An alleged clash between Israeli soldiers and students at a Palestinian university that involved tear gas bombs, injured students, and damaged buildings last month has prompted concern… […]