Aggregated News & Opinion
Recent posts in bigger type.
Recent posts in bigger type.
Byzantine health plans. Impoverishing deductibles. Exorbitant drug costs. Soul-crushing surprises lurking in the fine print....
The 2017 US out-of-control per capita health care spending was $5322 more per person than in France, the highest rated system based on patient outcomes. The US wastes $1.8 Trillion per year on health care spending compared to the average 2017 total per capita costs of comparable yet profit-controlled advanced countries.
Let's end price gouging and adopt fair profit-controls too.
Let's end price gouging and adopt fair profit-controls too.
Coronavirus live: Covid live news: South Africa death toll higher than official tally; more Indian variant cases in Northern Ireland
South African report suggests more than 133,000 people have died from Covid-19; number of cases of Indian variant in Northern Ireland up to 12, say reports
- Thai prisons holding democracy activists drive record Covid figures
- ‘Increasing concern’ over India variant in UK says Boris Johnson
- UK: Reports that Sage will meet on Thursday to discuss India variant
- Scores more bodies of suspected Covid victims found in Indian rivers
- See all our coronavirus coverage
Yohannes Lowe (now); Martin Belam and Helen Sullivan (earlier) | The Guardian | 21.05.13
Pollution! Study finds alarming levels of ‘forever chemicals’ in US mothers’ breast milk [Look what Trump's eviscerated EPA allowed!]
Toxic chemicals known as PFAS found in all 50 samples tested at levels nearly 2,000 times what is considered safe in drinking water
Tom Perkins | The Guardian | 21.05.13
New wind and solar power projects in China, Europe and the US spurred 45% rise in rate of new capacity
Jillian Ambrose Energy correspondent | The Guardian | 21.05.13
Opinion re. CO2 reduction effort: As the US and EU get on with green recovery, Australia has missed a huge opportunity
The volume of funds being put forward in the federal budget is staggeringly low and can only be seen as window dressing
Bill Hare | The Guardian | 21.05.13
Opinion re. Wildlife: Idaho is going to kill 90% of the state’s wolves. That’s a tragedy – and bad policy [Policies made by the ignorant.]
Fed by myths, fairytales and Disney, America’s demonization of wolves has been going on for centuries, and continues full throttle
Kim Heacox | The Guardian | 21.05.12
Independent high-level panel castigates global leaders and calls for major changes to ensure it cannot happen again
Sarah Boseley Health editor | The Guardian | 21.05.12
Opinion re. Environment: The right’s new bogeyman: that Biden will take America’s hamburgers away
The real threat to our way of life – and Saturday night steak – is an oligopoly food system that teetered close to collapse last spring when its workers were overcome by Covid
Art Cullen | The Guardian | 21.05.11
California drought: California declares drought emergency across vast swath of state [Rev-up water-conservation and desalination plant projects!]
Majority of counties now under emergency declaration as California faces extensive dry spell and dwindling water supply
Associated Press | The Guardian | 21.05.11
Environment: Michigan governor orders Enbridge to shut down controversial Canadian oil pipeline [Polluting the Great Lakes is too great a risk.]
While the governor says the line is a ‘ticking time bomb’, the company says Line 5 has never experienced a leak
Leyland Cecco in Toronto | The Guardian | 21.05.11
Automotive industry: Electric cars ‘will be cheaper to produce than fossil fuel vehicles by 2027’ [Electric vehicles are already cheaper to maintain and refuel!]
BloombergNEF forecasts result of falling cost of making batteries as well as dedicated production lines
Joanna Partridge | The Guardian | 21.05.10
Mayor overseeing a green regeneration in city where temperatures can already surpass 40C
Helena Smith in Athens | The Guardian | 21.05.10
Opinion re. Energy: Investing in coal power would be an expensive mistake
Many current high-polluters have enormous capacity to increase their energy supply from solar and wind power, instead
Trent Zimmerman and Philip Dunne | The Guardian | 21.05.10
Children and young adults around the world are demanding action from governments on global heating and the ecological crisis
Matthew Taylor, Emily Holden, Dan Collyns, Michael Standaert and Ashifa Kassam | The Guardian | 21.05.07
Environment: Wyoming stands up for coal with threat to sue states that refuse to buy it [Republicans won't change, even when they're wrong!]
Republican governor says measure sends message that Wyoming is ‘prepared to bring litigation to protect our interests’
Oliver Milman | The Guardian | 21.05.07
Were the media concerned with speaking truth to power, the case of Sheikh Jarrah perfectly exposes the magnitude of Israeli hypocrisy and deceit.
Belén Fernández | Common Dreams | 21.05.11
Opinion re. ‘female rage’: The day of ‘female rage’ has dawned – and Kate Winslet is its fed-up face
The I’m-done-with-it energy of Mare of Easttown has resonated because it reflects exactly how so many of us feel
Emma Brockes | The Guardian | 21.05.07
Howling at bad journalism!
BOB SOMERBY in Baltimore | The DailyHowler
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| Republicans: Leaked Video: Dark Money Group Brags About Writing GOP Voter Suppression Bills Across the Country [3:03 video] “We did it quickly and we did it quietly,” said the executive director of Heritage Action. The Georgia law had “eight key provisions that Heritage recommended,” Jessica Anderson, the executive director of Heritage Action for America, a sister organization of the Heritage Foundation, told the foundation’s donors at an April 22 gathering in Tucson, in a recording obtained by the watchdog group Documented and shared with Mother Jones.
ARI BERMAN and NICK SURGEY | Mother Jones | 21.05.14
Climate change: Climate crisis is not a ‘partisan issue’, young Republican tells his own party [Republicans’ authoritarian control assures ignorance remains dominant in the party.] Peter Meijer, 33-year-old Michigan congressman, says Republicans are in midst of ‘generational shift’ – but progress is slow  Trump at a West Virginia rally in 2017. The continued embrace of Trumpian rhetoric has concerned some younger Republican lawmakers. Photograph: Saul Loeb/AFP/Getty Images Oliver Milman | The Guardian | 21.05.14
Opinion re. US Unions: Americans are more pro-union – and anti-big business – than at any time in decades Support for organized labor has even gone up among Republican voters - perhaps Trump’s faux-populism had an unintended effect  ‘The shift of public opinion in favor of organized labor comes against a backdrop of decades of declining union membership rates but rising union interest among workers.’ Photograph: Lev Radin/Pacific Press/REX/Shutterstock Emily DiVito and Aaron Sojourner | The Guardian | 21.05.14
Opinion re. US gun control: The American gun crisis? It’s largely a domestic violence crisis [Do men acquire guns to dominate THEIR women?] In spite of the increasing crisis of gun violence in intimate partner abuse situations, gun control is still not generally thought of as a gender justice issue  Relatives comfort each other after a mass shooting in Colorado Springs, in which a man killed his girlfriend and five others. Photograph: Jerilee Bennett/AP Moira Donegan | The Guardian | 21.05.14
Opinion re. Preventable Pandemic: Why is the world still being hit by wave after wave of Covid when we know how to stop it? Leaders failed to act fast enough when Covid-19 appeared. They must not keep making the same mistakes  A commuter walks past a mural depicting Covid-19 frontline workers, Mumbai, India, January 2021. Photograph: Indranil Mukherjee/AFP/Getty Images Helen Clark and Ellen Johnson Sirleaf | The Guardian | 21.05.14
| Opinion re. Israel: The violence that began at Jerusalem’s ancient holy sites is driven by a distinctly modern zeal [Why are Palestinians—who are genetically the same as semitic Jews—being treated like the Jews in Nazi Germany?] The Israeli right’s urge to take the Temple Mount threatens to turn 2,000 years of Judaism on its head  Palestinian medics evacuate a wounded person after clashes in Jerusalem’s al-Aqsa mosque compound on 10 May 2021. Photograph: Ahmad Gharabli/AFP/Getty Images On Monday, an apocalyptic video from Jerusalem began to circulate on social media. In the background, it showed a large fire raging on the site Muslims call al-Aqsa or al-Haram al-Sharif, and Jews call the Temple Mount. A tree was ablaze next to al-Aqsa mosque (some blamed Israeli police stun grenades, others blamed Palestinians shooting fireworks, perhaps aiming at Jewish worshippers). Below, the large plaza of the Western Wall was full with young Jewish Israelis, identified with the religious Zionist right, celebrating “Jerusalem Day” (marking the occupation of East Jerusalem in 1967). They were cheering at the sight of the fire, singing an anthem of vengeance popular in extreme-right circles. The lyrics are the words of Samson, just before he pulled down the pillars of the Temple in Gaza: “O God, that I may with one blow take vengeance on the Philistines for my two eyes!” The Israeli teenagers, visibly ecstatic, jumped up and down and shouted: “May their name be effaced!”...Yair Wallach | The Guardian | 21.05.14
 An explosion lights the sky after an airstrike in the northern Gaza Strip, as the conflict escalates following ground attack by Israel Defense Forces troops. Photograph: Mohammed Abed/AFP/Getty Images Military says ground forces are carrying out strikes on Gaza Strip – but are not operating inside territory – amid escalating crisis Oliver Holmes in Jerusalem, Harriet Sherwood and agencies | The Guardian | 21.05.14
Biden pro-Israel: Biden Claims Israeli Attack on Gaza Is Not an 'Overreaction' as Onslaught Intensifies, Death Toll Mounts [We disagree with Biden! Reference video] "With its unconditional financial, military, and diplomatic support of the Israeli apartheid regime, the U.S. bears responsibility for the everyday violence of Israeli oppression."  Israeli soldiers prepare to fire artillery shells towards the Gaza Strip from their position near the southern Israeli city of Sderot on May 14, 2021. (Photo: Jack Guez/AFP via Getty Images) by Jake Johnson, staff writer | Common Dreams | 21.05.14
Opinion re. Palestinian territories: US funds make Israel’s bombardment of Gaza possible. When will they be halted? US public opinion seems to be swinging in support of Palestinian rights, but it must go further to begin real change  People in Washington DC protest Israeli attacks on Palestinians. Photograph: Anadolu Agency/Getty Images The headlines speak mainly of “clashes”, “conflict”, and “casualties on both sides”. The politicians recite bromides about Israel’s “right to defend itself”– a right that Palestinians seemingly do not have. The US government calls for “all parties to deescalate”, with no acknowledgment that it is US funds – $3.8bn a year – that, in part, make Israel’s bombardment of Gaza possible. This is the familiar American routine when Israel goes to war....Joshua Leifer | The Guardian | 21.05.14
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Biden pro-Israel: AOC Says Biden's Refusal to Condemn Israeli Attacks on Palestinians 'Takes a Side—the Side of Occupation' The New York Democrat criticized Biden for failing to acknowledge "what precipitated this cycle of violence—namely, the expulsions of Palestinians and attacks on Al-Aqsa." by Jake Johnson, staff writer | Common Dreams | 21.05.13
Wyoming congresswoman says ‘I plan to lead the fight’ after Republican caucus strips her of conference chair position Daniel Strauss in Washington | The Guardian | 21.05.13
Slave wages for food poverty: Meet the workers who put food on America’s tables – but can’t afford groceries Undocumented immigrants are doing the backbreaking farm work that keeps the US food system running but struggle to feed their families Nina Lakhani in the Rio Grande Valley | The Guardian | 21.05.13
America's race to zero emissions: Solar surcharge: how US power firms try to make people pay for going green [A classic Trump-Republican regressive policy!] In states like Kansas, energy companies want to impose charges on people who produce their own power with rooftop arrays Haines Eason for the New Territory and Emily Holden for Floodlight | The Guardian | 21.05.13
The 84-turbine site off Massachusetts will be capable of generating power for 400,000 homes and businesses Haines Eason for the New Territory and Emily Holden for Floodlight | The Guardian | 21.05.13
California: California’s recall election: how does it work – and will Gavin Newsom survive? [Depleted water, global heating and forest fires have wrecked the state.] The state is poised to hold a gubernatorial recall vote for only the second time in history Maanvi Singh | The Guardian | 21.05.12
California: California governor unveils $12bn plan to tackle ‘unacceptable’ homelessness crisis [The Haves and Have-Nots live in radically different worlds.] Newsom proposes creating 46,000 housing units and effort to end family homelessness within five years Guardian staff and agencies | The Guardian | 21.05.12
Opinion re. Food poverty: What has grown most in the pandemic? Billionaire bank balances – and food bank queues The rich are now nearly 40% richer than before the coronavirus crisis. Meanwhile, food prices rise, and more and more people go hungry Arwa Mahdawi | The Guardian | 21.05.12
Israel v. Palestinians: Biden Administration Reportedly Blocking UN Cease-Fire Statement as Israel Bombards Gaza "The violence in Israel and Gaza must end," said U.S. Rep. Jamaal Bowman. "Congress and President Biden must act immediately. No one wins with war."
by Jake Johnson, staff writer | Common Dreams | 21.05.12
| Far-right crowd in Tel Aviv pull man they thought to be an Arab from his car and beat him in the street Staff and agencies | The Guardian | 21.05.13
Far-right crowd in Tel Aviv pull man they thought to be an Arab from his car and beat him in the street Oliver Holmes in Jerusalem and agencies | The Guardian | 21.05.13
Indonesia’s capital Jakarta – plagued by pollution, flooding and heatwaves – tops risk assessment ranking Agence France-Presse | The Guardian | 21.05.13
Israel v. Palestinians: Let's Talk About the Israel-Palestine Conflict | The Daily Show [8:53 video] The Daily Show with Trevor Noah | YouTube | 21.05.12
Israel v. Palestinians: Israel-Gaza violence: death toll rises as UN envoy warns over escalation [1:28 video] Further airstrikes and rocket fire reported in worst violence since 2014 war between Israel and Hamas
Oliver Holmes in Jerusalem, Harriet Sherwood and agencies | The Guardian | 21.05.12
Israel: Twenty-four dead in Gaza after Jerusalem violence spreads [Israel's advanced military—generously subsidized by the U.S.—excessively punishes a largely unarmed and innocent Palestinian population, again.] Seven of the deaths were members of a single family, including three children, health officials say Oliver Holmes in Jerusalem | The Guardian | 21.05.11
Like the insanity of selling premium military weapons to the Saudis: State Dept Spokesperson Under Fire for 'Spineless' Refusal to Condemn Israel's Killing of Children in Gaza "This unsurprising response is devoid of empathy and concern for human suffering," said Rep. Ilhan Omar. "He can't even condemn the killing of children." by Jake Johnson, staff writer | Common Dreams | 21.05.11
Brazil: ‘They came to kill’: Rio’s deadliest favela police raid sparks calls for change [Right-wingers believe that desperate victims trying to stay alive cause the problems!] Rio’s favelas have suffered countless horrors since the drug conflict began to intensify in the 1980s and the carnage in Jacarezinho has caused a wave of protest by Tom Phillips in Rio de Janeiro | The Guardian | 21.05.11
| Opinion re. patents: It’s good Biden is suspending vaccine patents. But the whole rotten system needs overhaul US tax dollars helped create the Moderna vaccine – and 59% of Americans say Moderna share its vaccine technology with manufacturers worldwide David Adler and Mamka Anyona | The Guardian | 21.05.07
Federal court says claim was not filed in good faith, paving the way for legal bid by New York state to close the group down Associated Press | The Guardian | 21.05.12
Opioids crisis: US states oppose ‘unjust’ plan to shield Sackler wealth in opioid settlement [First-graders with fresh memories from the playground would instantly see what's fair, but in a capitalistic country such justice is...difficult.] Twenty-four states object to bankruptcy proposal for Sacklers to settle lawsuits by paying $4.3bn but family would keep about $7bn Chris McGreal | The Guardian | 21.05.11
Congressional Insider Trading: The New Senate Report is here. After the national media from the House Report, 2020-2021 year for our Senators has been analyzed. Staff | Unusual Whales | 21.05.10
Israel v. Palestinians: Israel Condemned for 'Unambiguous War Crime' After Destroying Gaza Apartment Tower Resistance fighters retaliated with a barrage of rockets as the death toll during the current conflagration rose to over 30 people—almost all of them Palestinians. by Brett Wilkins, staff writer | Common Dreams | 21.05.12
Virtual Nations [An editorial promoting an anti-despot/fascist ideal] Instead of NATION-STATE-POLITICIANS essentially owning and controlling people (and their descendants ad infinitum) in "their" Nation State, wouldn't it be better if adults world-wide could contract with UN-certified professional agencies to perform nation-level fiduciary functions (certifications being updated at least annually).
— State, City and county governments would continue unchanged —
Marc Cherbonnier | The Baltimore Chronicle | Ref.
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