Open Your Eyes News - Edition 10

Yes there are things happening in the world other than Cherie Blair plugging her new book and the end of Russia's democratic "experiment" with Putin retaining power.

Some interesting articles from the mainstream media over the last week (plus perhaps a little added comment and sarcasm):

The World Food Crisis

http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2008/05/08/beware-food-crisis-getting-worse.aspx?source=nl An interesting piece on the causes of this (largely man-made) tragedy that is unfolding

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/05/08/business/worldbusiness/08fobriefs-TRADINGINFOO_BRF.html?ref=worldbusiness India takes a step towards alleviating one of the main causes of the crisis, commodities trading. I wouldn't like to see the odds that the main commodities markets; London, New York and Chicago, will ever follow suit and be prepared to stop their speculative profit taking at the expense of their fellow man.

http://www.marketoracle.co.uk/Article4647.html An in depth analysis on how this is going to get a lot worse


Health & Science:

http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2008/05/08/is-the-rise-in-male-oral-cancer-related-to-hpv.aspx?source=nl Big pharma finds a niche to double the sales of its latest "wonder drug"

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/7392510.stm The temerity of parents doing what they feel is best for their children needs to be punished (as otherwise profits will be harmed)

http://www.newscientist.com/channel/opinion/dn13864-five-science-fiction-movies-that-get-the-science-right.html?feedId=online-news_rss20 Five Sci-Fi movies that predicted the future right.


Environment:

http://www.americanthinker.com/blog/2008/05/gores_myanmar_words_as_inoppor.html No Mr Gore the cyclone, no matter how awful it was, was not the fault of CO2 emissions. These events have happened since the dawn of time and will always happen whether we are here or not.

http://www.newscientist.com/article/dn13855-climate-scientists-call-for-their-own-manhattan-project.html?feedId=online-news_rss20 If you are a cash strapped scientist what is the easiest way to get the powers that be to give you funding? Yes that old chestnut Man Made Climate Change. If they admitted it was all natural do you think the funding would be nearly as forthcoming? Human Self Interest 101.

http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,25197,23657735-11949,00.html This is the furor if funding is seen to be "skeptical" (I always scientists were supposed to be skeptical of received wisdom)

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/7386458.stm Another, largely un-reported, example of real human environmental destruction

http://www.canada.com/vancouversun/news/editorial/story.html?id=68c9a6c9-4f1d-4fc8-b330-d26c4b56549a&p=1 Man made climate change “Skeptics” come in all shapes & sizes

http://worldnetdaily.com/index.php?fa=PAGE.view&pageId=63542 Climate scientists predictions have been wrong before!


Politics & Democracy:

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/europe/1922140/EU-plans-international-embassies.html The European (un-democratic) super-state is taking shape, slowly but surely.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/05/02/AR2008050203434.html The Trilateral Commission. One of the most influential decision making groups on the planet met last week in Washington. And the only "mainstream" media mention that I was able to find was in the 7th paragraph of this opinion piece in the Washington Post! You have to ask yourself why all the secrecy and lack of scrutiny.

http://www.americanfreepress.net/html/trilateral_commission_attendee.html Just in case you were wondering who really makes the decisions in our democratic society (clue – you didn’t ever vote for them)

Civil Liberties:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/7384843.stm CCTV doesn’t cut crime. Official solution: Not less CCTV, but better technology to track your every move.

http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/topstories/2008/05/05/exclusive-tougher-security-checks-to-enter-us-as-laptops-and-mobile-phones-searched-89520-20405885/ Fancy a holiday to Land of the "Free" to make the most of the $ devaluation?

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/pages/live/articles/news/news.html?in_article_id=564051&in_page_id=1770 Do you really think that statistics that bad are going to stop this juggernaut as it chips away at your civil liberties & freedom?

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2008/02/04/ED5OUPQJ7.DTL&hw=detention+camps&sn=005&sc=288%3Cbr%3E%3Cbr%3E Violent Radicalization and Homegrown Terrorism Prevention Act of 2007 (HR1955) – Sounds fair enough doesn’t it? Until you read the small print and you realise that the internet will no longer be free, and everything is in place for a permanent suspension of civil liberties and democracy in the USA.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/pages/live/articles/news/news.html?in_article_id=565047&in_page_id=1770 Arbitrarily detain and release citizens (oh and take their DNA for “future reference”)

http://www.americanfreepress.net/html/new_testament_anti-semitism_13.html The political correctness thought police now turn on 2 billion+ Christians.


Finance & Economics:

http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/house-and-home/property/repossessions-hit-16year-high-as-lenders-turn-to-courts-first-825407.html Feeling the pinch yet?

http://money.ninemsn.com.au/article.aspx?id=560623 You will when oil gets to $200 a barrel believe me


The War on Terror:

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/us_and_americas/article3866947.ece The reality of legal torture. In history have moral high grounds ever been captured through torture?

http://www.reuters.com/article/topNews/idUSN0729854220080507?feedType=RSS&feedName=topNews&pageNumber=1&virtualBrandChannel=0 As usual the foot soldiers get hauled over the coals. The real decision makers (Bush & Cheney) get away with that old get out of jail free card “Executive Privilege”


The Next War:

http://www.reuters.com/article/topNews/idUSN0729088020080507?feedType=RSS&feedName=topNews How dare you have friends on our backyard! We wouldn’t do the same in your backyard ……other than Pakistan, Afghanistan, Iraq, UAE, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Israel, Turkey, Georgia and Jordan that is.


Quote of the week:

"The last 10,000 years (the Holcene period) has been quite unusually warm. To find a comparable time we would have to go back to the Eamian period some 120,000 years ago....the Holocene has been privieged in a further respect: its extraordinary climatic stability...if we look at the Eemian, it is made up of a series of peaks and troughs that were respectively far hotter and far colder than anything we have experienced in the Holocene...there has been nothing like it in the last 100,000 years." A Brief History of the Human Race - Professor Michael Cook (Princeton University)