The John James Newsletter 136
3 September 2016
The Taliban now controls more land in Afghanistan than ever. US forces cannot venture into the Afghan countryside because they will get killed. Even within Kabul, US troops usually resort to helicopters to get from one section of Kabul to another for fear of getting killed in cars or armored vehicles
http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article45365.htm
The Iranians absolutely need a strong partnership with Russia to keep the US-Takfiri-Zionist-Wahabi (what a combo!) alliance at bay and to continue to resist the AngloZionist Empire in Syria, Lebanon, Iraq and elsewhere
http://thesaker.is/trouble-between-moscow-and-tehran/
US weapon systems are more focused on profits than effectiveness
Paul Roberts
Investors controlling $13tn call on G20 leaders to ratify Paris climate agreement
They called for strong carbon pricing to be implemented, as well as regulations that encouraged energy efficiency and renewable energy. Plans for how to phase out fossil fuels also needed to be developed, they said.
Financial regulators needed to force companies to disclose how climate change, and climate-related policies, would impact their bottom line, the group said.
‘The Mother of All Risks’: Insurance Giants Call on G20 to Stop Bankrolling Fossil Fuels
Multi-national insurance giants Aviva, Aegon, and Amlin, which manage $1.2tn in assets, called on the leaders of the world’s biggest economies to commit to ending coal, oil, and gas subsidies within four years.
Tesla Clears Major Roadblock To Mass-Market Success With New Electric Car
The automaker’s 315-mile range sets a new record. New lithium-ion battery pack that can deliver an unprecedented 315-mile range for his electric vehicles (EVs). But SolidEnergy Systems, a new startup spun out of an MIT lab, says it is in the process of commercialising a lithium metal battery that can double the range of all existing EVs.
A Dead Nation Walking
In my opinion, the chance of nuclear war from Neoconservative intention, miscalculation or false launch warning remains high. The provocations of US/NATO military forces and missile bases on Russia’s borders are reckless as they build tensions between nuclear powers. It is in times of tension that false warnings are believed and miscalculations occur. In the interest of life on earth, Washington should be de-escalating tensions with Russia, not building them.
http://www.paulcraigroberts.org/2016/08/26/the-us-a-dead-nation-walking-paul-craig-roberts/
Man Who Killed Police Dog Sentenced to 45-Years in Prison
http://theantimedia.org/man-killed-police-dog-sentenced-45-years-prison/
Judge Gives Cancer Patient 90 Days Of Jail For Being Too Sick To Pay Bills
The U.S. Army Lost Track of $6.5 Trillion
Years of no oversight, bad accounting practices and crappy computer systems created this problem. And remember, this is just the Army and just its general fund. From crappy accounting procedures.
https://warisboring.com/the-u-s-army-lost-track-of-6-5-trillion-16bd2f43ba30#.nft4gcway
‘Stone Cold Justice’ – Israel’s Torture of Palestinian Children
Imagine a military prison where the inmates include children as young as 12, in shackles. A film which has been produced by a group of Australian journalists has sparked an international outcry against Israel after it explicitly detailed Tel Aviv’s use of torture aainst Palestinian children.
http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article45371.htm
Israel is becoming a divisive issue in American politics
http://lobelog.com/dov-waxman-israel-is-becoming-a-divisive-issue-in-american-politics/
The Oxaca Commune And The Zapitastas: Hope From The Margins
In the south of Mexico people are regenerating the society from the bottom up. It is a new kind of revolution without leaders, which goes beyond development and globalization. It is about displacing the economy from the center of social life, reclaiming a communal way of being, encouraging radical pluralism, and advancing towards real democracy.
http://www.countercurrents.org/2016/08/28/the-oxaca-commune-and-the-zapitastas-hope-from-the-margins/
Science or Snake Oil: is A2 milk better for you than regular cow’s milk?
For those who do not experience any problems with milk consumption, there is no evidence to suggest any benefit in having A2 milk over the common consumed commercial milk, which contains both the A1 and A2 proteins. For less than half the price per litre, the latter would be the favoured option.
US Plans to ‘Corner’ Russia on Syria’s Chemical Weapons
The Obama administration is pushing UN reports showing Assad hasn’t given up, and is in some cases still using, poison gas. The strategy is to pressure the dictator’s patron, Vladimir Putin.
Obama to create world’s largest protected marine area off Hawaii
Expansion of Papah?naumoku?kea marine national monument, which is now more than twice the size of Texas, is the president’s final push on conservation
Finland to Test Basic Income Scheme
Sipila wants to see if the measure can boost employment and simplify the welfare benefits system, and plans to test the idea on a 2,000-strong sample of randomly selected working-age residents. “The primary goal of the basic income experiment is to promote employment,”
http://www.telesurtv.net/english/news/Finland-to-Test-Out-Basic-Income-Scheme-20160826-0012.html
Four Terrifying Examples of a Post-Coup Brazil Future
The interim Temer administration has made its plans to roll back economic, social and political rights and empower the nation’s oligarchy with cuts to key social programs and ultimately impose neoliberalism.
49 of 81 Brazilian senators who ousted the president for corruption are the targets of criminal inquiries.
Rousseff is not accused of corruption but that she cooked the federal budget books in the runup to her 2014 reelection. However, a June Senate report proved the allegations were false.
Apple hit by EU tax ruling
Apple is facing a $14.5bn fine from the European commission over unpaid back taxes, stemming from arrangements it made over nearly 25 years with the Irish government. The ruling found that Dublin afforded Apple illegal state aid, allowing the US tech company to pay as little as 1% corporate tax rate on two-thirds of its global earnings
https://www.theguardian.com/business/2016/aug/30/apple-pay-back-taxes-eu-ruling-ireland-state-aid
Some handy facts you can share about Australia:
* Australians have invested $8 billion of their own money in rooftop solar over the last 8 years, and
* They now save around $1 billion in electricity bills each year [1]
* Rooftop solar systems will prevent over 6.3 million tonnes of carbon pollution in 2016 [2]
* There are now 19,000 people employed in the solar industry, far more than in coal and gas electricity generation [3]
* If we transition to 100% renewable energy by 2050 we’d actually save $90 billion [5]
Seems like solar is working pretty well
[1] Guardian, 22 June 2016; [2] Solar Citizens, p.13-14; [3] Solar Citizens, July 2016; [4] Guardian, 19 April 2011
Death Knell’ for TTIP as France Calls for End of Talks
“The negotiations are bogged down, positions have not been respected, it’s clearly unbalanced,”
Hillary Clinton’s Honduran problem
While secretary of state, Clinton supported new elections after the 2009 coup to prevent the return of left wing president Manuel Zelaya. What followed was a sell-off of mining and hydroelectric concessions that have contributed to the poverty Honduras’ current political instability.
Honduras, Guatemala Deadliest Countries for Environmental Activists
Greenpeace brought the Reef to Canberra
We set up a huge coral garden of 300 coral-like cutouts on the front lawn of Parliament House, to bring home to our new leaders what’s at stake if we don’t act fast enough on climate change.
Reforestation Doesn’t Fight Climate Change Unless It’s Done Right
Volunteers in India smashed a world record by planting 49.3 million tree saplings on July 11. Last year, volunteers in Ecuador planted 647,250 trees from 200 species in one day. In 2014, Men of the Trees planted 100,450 trees in Perth, Australia in a single hour.
https://thinkprogress.org/planting-trees-climate-change-solution-3e5b6979561f#.qbiy49kcg
We are turning the planet into a ‘polluted wasteland full of debris, desolation, and filth’ – Pope Francis
Deeming pollution of Earth sinful, Pope proposes that climate action is a sacred duty. Pope Francis put forth an urgent call for people to actively work to save the environment, proposing that the Catholic Church add such a duty to the list of “seven mercies,” which includes feeding the hungry and visiting the sick, which Catholics are required to perform. “We must not be indifferent or resigned to the loss of biodiversity and the destruction of ecosystems, often caused by our irresponsible and selfish behaviour.”
Our Consumption Of Earth’s Natural Resources Has More Than Tripled In 40 Years
In 1970, about 22 billion tons of primary materials were extracted from the Earth – including metals, fossil fuels, and other natural resources, such as timber and cereals. In 2010, that number had ballooned to 70 billion tons.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com.au/entry/natural-resource-use-tripled_us_57a05c3ae4b0693164c273a8
Al Qaeda Is Gaining Strength in Syria
While Washington sits on the sidelines, the siege of Aleppo has cleared a path for the return of Al Qaeda.
http://foreignpolicy.com/2016/09/01/al-qaeda-is-gaining-strength-in-syria/