July 13, 2010 archive

21st-Century Socialism: two books by Marta Harnecker

Book Reviews:

Marta Harnecker: “Latin America and Twenty-First Century Socialism: Inventing to Avoid Mistakes.”  Monthly Review 62:3 (July-August 2010), 3-78.

—.  Rebuilding the Left.  London and New York: Zed Books, 2007.

In this oh-so-brief review I shall try to convey a sense of what counts as “21st century socialism” in the ferment of leftist governance that can currently be found in certain parts of Latin America (e.g. Venezuela, Bolivia, Ecuador).

(Crossposted to Orange)

Open George

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News at Noon

From Reuters

Majority of Americans lack faith in Obama: poll

By Reuters

July 13, 2010

(Reuters) – Nearly 60 percent of American voters say they lack faith in President Barack Obama, according to a public opinion poll published on Tuesday.

The results of the Washington Post/ABC News poll are a reversal of what voters said at the start of Obama’s presidency 18 months ago when about 60 percent expressed confidence in his decision making.

Confidence in Obama is at a new low but the poll found that his numbers are still higher than lawmakers of either major party four months ahead of the November congressional elections.

Related Stories

Scenarios: Obama to score few wins in Congress

Snowe says “yes” to Wall St. bill

Let it Be

I’m moving away from thinking. Not that thinking isn’t useful but, rather, that it tends to take up too much space in my brain and limits my ability to perceive. The problem with out of balance thinking is that it feeds “stories” and makes the ego stronger (I’m right and you’re wrong, or they’re wrong). We need a balance and I find balance by focusing on this moment right now–and that’s the only time I feel truly happy and sane.  

wink;o} wink;o} Ginning up WMD Intelligence

Brit War Inquiry EXPLODES with Damning Testimony! Will the Chilcot group take this and remove the somewhat gentlemanly gloves of questioning so far and get tougher, will it also bring about a re-questioning of earlier participants, like Blair and company, who might have thought they were through with their spinning of facts! Will documents not intended for public view suddenly become very public to answer what isn’t known but said only behind closed doors!

Dillon: Is Foreign Govt. Stopping + Detaining us from looking at our own Country ?!

Is a Foreign Government Interfering with OUR OWN CITIZENS on our own soil?!

Or is this a Dispersant Cover Up story ?  WDSU channel 6 News/  Fired BP Contractor talks to  Adam Dillon 7/11/10


Scott Walker of WDSU News: ” During our visit to a Grand Isle beach in June (on the 11th) to see clean up workers, a WDSU photographer and I  blocked from getting with in a hundred yards of them.   (This was the infamous Talon security people who are threatening journalists, bloggers, and regular folk down in the Gulf )

Adam Dillon, who was fired from BP, was a cleanup contractor from North Carolina, now talks to WDSU.com. ”

video here:   http://www.wdsu.com/video/2420…

http://scottwalkertv.com/2010/…

Adam Dillon

Adam Dillon, fired by BP, now a whistleblower

more video transcript:


Dillon:  …. after the way BP treated me, I am telling you now, you deserved an answer.

Scott Walker of WDSU News:  Shortly after our beach run in, Dillon was promoted.   Now he says he was fired because he was seen as a threat to his superiors.

Dillon:  I Became a liability to their operation up there because of the info I found out

News:  Does BP have anything to hide ?  Something other than the cleanup effort going on here ?

Dillon:  I saw something when I was out there. I took pictures of something. I  brought it to the attention of the command structure.  And,  Whatever I took pictures of, 12 hours later, I was gone.

News: he believes those photos showed equations related to the used of dispersants used on the oil in the Gulf.  While Dillon has harsh words for those in charge and questions,   he is just as quick to credit the thousands of workers who are working hard to clean up our shores.

Dillon:  At the command center, I worked with some really great people. I worked w/ some great hardworking individuals in there. but the bottom line it’s just about the money.   There are some very cutthroat individuals in there they are not worried about cleaning up the spill, as is.

News:  this former special ops soldier says lost all faith in BP

Dillon:  I will never have loyalty to  this company. (BP)  I will always have loyalty to my country and my country comes first.  What this company is doing to my country is wrong.

News:  No comment from BP,  Will attempt to reach out to those in charge.   More coming Monday in my interview with Dillon, where he tells me, He was confined and interrogated almost an hour.

This is an excerpt of the last part of the video



Adam Dillon, quote:   “What this company is doing to my country is wrong.”

Docudharma Times Tuesday July 13




Tuesday’s Headlines:

Despite new toughness, Obama faces hurdles in spill

Consumer Reports gives iPhone 4 cool reception

USA

The sad math of U.S. aid in Haiti: 6 months, 2 percent

White House unveils strategy against HIV/AIDS

Europe

Nicolas Sarkozy faces the cameras to dismiss Bettencourt donation ‘lies

Police officer seriously injured after loyalist march ends in sectarian riot

Middle East

Egyptian Islamists attempt to draw a veil over ‘salacious’ masterpiece

Amid Violence and Instability, Iraqi Government Lies Idle

Asia

Taliban attacks increasingly kill Afghan civilians

Chinese Factories Now Compete to Woo Laborers

Africa

South Africans ponder life after the World Cup

Libya’s path from desert to modern country – complete with ice rink

Latin America

Seven freed dissidents leave Cuba for Spain

Muse in the Morning

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Muse in the Morning

Prayer without tears is like a well without water.

–Bhagavad Gita

Phenomena XIV: crying


Tears

Toxic Raindrops

Spitter, spatter – dribble, drip

eroding the soul

The sizzle of acidic water

dissolving resolution

Hard hail pellets

hammering the identity

Cold shards of sleet

penetrating the heart

Invisible tears

damaging the interior

where the scars

are mostly not visible

except in the

resulting behavior

which can be

so terribly bizarre

Confidence

roughly scoured

forcibly removed

from internal corridors

while outside

there was a smile

and a helping hand

for those less fortunate

–Robyn Elaine Serven

–February 21, 2008

The 83rd Day, Gulf of Mexico. Tail of the Dead Dragon

This is the 83rd Day on the Gulf of Mexico During the BP Oil Spill.  You will not see these pictures in the MSM.

BP oil spill,Gulf of Mexico,Mississippi River Delta,Louisiana Coast

Louisiana coast

Bp oil spill,Gulf of Mexico,Macondo,Deepwater Horizon,oil slick,Louisiana coast

Dying River Delta and DeepWater Horizon Macondo wellsite

BP oil spill,Gulf of Mexico

Center of Gulf of Mexico.

BP oil spill,Gulf of Mexico,Franklin Eddy

Franklin Eddy. Oil circling endlessly in mid Gulf.

BP oil spill,Gulf of Mexico,Yucatan Penninsula bp oil spill

Tail of the Dead Dragon.  Southern Gulf of Mexico.

BP oil spill,Gulf of Mexico,Yucatan Peninsula bp oil spill

Oil Slick Streamers Brushing Mexico’s Yucatan Peninsula.

BP oil spill,Gulf of Mexico,bp oil spill Yucatan peninsula

Eastern Yucatan Coast, Oil Slick, and Cuba to the East (upper right)

 

Late Night Karaoke

The Week in Editorial Cartoons – The Real Costs of Fossil Fuels

Crossposted at Daily Kos

Matt Bors

Matt Bors, Comics.com (Idiot Box)

12

Where’s The Outrage??

Isn’t it time that these mass atrocities be addressed?

Great, great segment from C-Span 2 with Ralph Nader and Judge Napolitano. You will never see this type of discussion ever on “Meet The Press“, etc..

Watch:

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