From Vancouver Observer
In four years alone, U.S. Tea Party architects the Koch brothers poured half a million dollars into Canadian right-wing think tank, the Fraser Institute.
Aug 042013
Jul 052013
Researchers conclude loss of biodiversity has had greater impact on ecoystems than imagined.
from Science Daily
"Humans have been affecting their environment since the ancestors of Homo sapiens first walked upright, but never has their impact been more detrimental than in the 21st century. 'The loss of biodiversity has much greater and more profound ecosystem impacts than had ever been imagined,' said David Tilman, professor of ecology, biodiversity and ecosystem functioning at UC Santa Barbara's Bren School of Environmental Science & Management.
"Human-driven environmental disturbances, such as increasing levels of reactive nitrogen and carbon dioxide (CO2), have multiple effects, including changes in biodiversity, species composition, and ecosystem functioning. Pieces of this puzzle have been widely examined but this new study puts it all together by examining multiple elements. The results were published July 1 in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
"According to the team's recent findings, adding nitrogen to grasslands led to an initial increase in ecosystem productivity. However, that increase proved unsustainable because the increased nitrogen resulted in a loss of plant diversity. 'In combination with earlier studies, our results show that the loss of biodiversity, no matter what might cause it, is a major driver of ecosystem functioning,' said Tilman. …"
Jul 052013
Lawsuit says mandatory dues force teachers to subsidize expenditures and collective bargaining activities.
from Digital Journal
"Ten teachers and the Christian Educators Association International have filed a lawsuit in California to stop the practice of teacher's unions collecting dues from non-members.
"Filed on April 30, 2013 in United States District Court for the Central District of California by the Center for Individual Rights, the lawsuit names the California Teachers Association (CTA), the National Education Association (NEA), ten local affiliated unions and local school officials as defendants. At the heart of the lawsuit is the concept of the 'agency shop.' The agency shop is a contractual agreement between an employer and a union in which the employer is free to hire both union and non-union workers. No employee will be forced to join the union, but the union may collect a payment from non-union employees to help finance the cost of collective bargaining. This payment is called the 'agency fee.
At the heart of the lawsuit is the concept of the 'agency shop.' The agency shop is a contractual agreement between an employer and a union in which the employer is free to hire both union and non-union workers. No employee will be forced to join the union, but the union may collect a payment from non-union employees to help finance the cost of collective bargaining. This payment is called the 'agency fee.' …"
Jul 032013
British government had other options, but chose austerity over increased spending or tax cuts.
from the New York Review of Books
"Austerity has failed. It turned a nascent recovery into stagnation. That imposes huge and unnecessary costs, not just in the short run, but also in the long term: the costs of investments unmade, of businesses not started, of skills atrophied, and of hopes destroyed.
"What is being done here in the UK and also in much of the eurozone is worse than a crime, it is a blunder. If policymakers listened to the arguments put forward by our opponents, the picture, already dark, would become still darker.
"Austerity came to Europe in the first half of 2010, with the Greek crisis, the coalition government in the UK, and above all, in June of that year, the Toronto summit of the group of twenty leading countries. This meeting prematurely reversed the successful stimulus launched at the previous summits and declared, roundly, that 'advanced economies have committed to fiscal plans that will at least halve deficits by 2013.' …"
Jul 032013
Proposal part of broader privatization effort, would likely lead to increased interest rates.
from the World Socialist Web Site
"A secret internal government report has revealed the plans of the Conservative-Liberal Democrat coalition to sell student loan debt to private investors. An estimated £40 billion of debt is being targeted, composed of loans to students between 1998 and 2012, according to the document seen by the Guardian .
"The report, produced by Rothschild Investment Bank, is an expression of the ruthless manner in which ruling circles are proceeding to extract maximum profits from every area of social and economic life. The proposal is part of a broader programme of privatizations and spending cuts announced in the government’s recent spending review, which included a further £11.5 billion reduction in the welfare budget to cut the UK’s massive budget deficit.
"An increase in interest rates on student loans would be a precondition to make the investments more attractive to private financiers, the document argued. Alternatively a so-called 'synthetic hedge' could be considered, which would involve government subsidies to ensure the profits of potential investors. Currently the interest on student loans stands at the base lending rate set by the Bank of England at 0.5 percent, plus one percent, giving an overall interest rate of 1.5 percent. Such rates of return for investors are deemed unacceptably low. …"
Jun 282013
Strike takes place as right-wing coalition prepares to impose further austerity measures.
from the World Socialist Web Site
"Portugal’s two main trade unions, the Socialist Party (PS) aligned General Workers Union (UGT) and the Communist Party (PCP) aligned General Confederation of Portuguese Workers (CGTP), staged a 24-hour general strike yesterday.
"The strike—the fourth called by the unions since Portugal asked for a €78 billion bailout two years ago—took place as the right-wing coalition led by Social Democrat (PSD) Prime Minister Pedro Passos Coelho prepares to impose further austerity measures next month. There are already 1.5 million people out of work in the country of 10.5 million, with less than half receiving unemployment benefits. The official youth unemployment rate is 42.5 per cent.
During the day thousands of people marched through the capital of Lisbon to the parliament building, which was protected by a large police cordon. Demonstrators held banners reading, “Enough!” and “Government Out!” Other protests were held in towns and cities including Oporto and Faro in the south.
Full story
Jun 282013
Oxford has become the first city in Europe to declare itself a ‘Tar-Free City’ after its City Council voted on 24 June to reject the use of tar sands oil by adjusting the policies governing the procurement of fuel for use in the area.
The city, famous for its university, took the lead from the US where similar declarations have been made. ‘Tar-free’ locations include Bellingham, a US gateway for the tar sands, and Burlington, which lies near the route of a proposed tar sands pipeline. In Vermont alone, 28 towns have made the pledge.
Nearly 20 US companies have also agreed to stop using tar sands oil in their vehicles.
– See more at: http://newint.org/blog/2013/06/25/tar-sands-free-europe-oxford/#sthash.vgNj7AAe.dpuf
Oxford has become the first city in Europe to declare itself a ‘Tar-Free City’ after its City Council voted on 24 June to reject the use of tar sands oil by adjusting the policies governing the procurement of fuel for use in the area.
The city, famous for its university, took the lead from the US where similar declarations have been made. ‘Tar-free’ locations include Bellingham, a US gateway for the tar sands, and Burlington, which lies near the route of a proposed tar sands pipeline. In Vermont alone, 28 towns have made the pledge.
Nearly 20 US companies have also agreed to stop using tar sands oil in their vehicles.
– See more at: http://newint.org/blog/2013/06/25/tar-sands-free-europe-oxford/#sthash.vgNj7AAe.dpuf
Oxford has become the first city in Europe to declare itself a ‘Tar-Free City’ after its City Council voted on 24 June to reject the use of tar sands oil by adjusting the policies governing the procurement of fuel for use in the area.
The city, famous for its university, took the lead from the US where similar declarations have been made. ‘Tar-free’ locations include Bellingham, a US gateway for the tar sands, and Burlington, which lies near the route of a proposed tar sands pipeline. In Vermont alone, 28 towns have made the pledge.
Nearly 20 US companies have also agreed to stop using tar sands oil in their vehicles.
– See more at: http://newint.org/blog/2013/06/25/tar-sands-free-europe-oxford/#sthash.vgNj7AAe.dpuf
Oxford has become the first city in Europe to declare itself a ‘Tar-Free City’ after its City Council voted on 24 June to reject the use of tar sands oil by adjusting the policies governing the procurement of fuel for use in the area.
The city, famous for its university, took the lead from the US where similar declarations have been made. ‘Tar-free’ locations include Bellingham, a US gateway for the tar sands, and Burlington, which lies near the route of a proposed tar sands pipeline. In Vermont alone, 28 towns have made the pledge.
Nearly 20 US companies have also agreed to stop using tar sands oil in their vehicles.
– See more at: http://newint.org/blog/2013/06/25/tar-sands-free-europe-oxford/#sthash.vgNj7AAe.dpuf
Oxford has become the first city in Europe to declare itself a ‘Tar-Free City’ after its City Council voted on 24 June to reject the use of tar sands oil by adjusting the policies governing the procurement of fuel for use in the area.
The city, famous for its university, took the lead from the US where similar declarations have been made. ‘Tar-free’ locations include Bellingham, a US gateway for the tar sands, and Burlington, which lies near the route of a proposed tar sands pipeline. In Vermont alone, 28 towns have made the pledge.
Nearly 20 US companies have also agreed to stop using tar sands oil in their vehicles.
– See more at: http://newint.org/blog/2013/06/25/tar-sands-free-europe-oxford/#sthash.vgNj7AAe.dpuf
Oxford has become the first city in Europe to declare itself a ‘Tar-Free City’ after its City Council voted on 24 June to reject the use of tar sands oil by adjusting the policies governing the procurement of fuel for use in the area.
The city, famous for its university, took the lead from the US where similar declarations have been made. ‘Tar-free’ locations include Bellingham, a US gateway for the tar sands, and Burlington, which lies near the route of a proposed tar sands pipeline. In Vermont alone, 28 towns have made the pledge.
Nearly 20 US companies have also agreed to stop using tar sands oil in their vehicles.
– See more at: http://newint.org/blog/2013/06/25/tar-sands-free-europe-oxford/#sthash.vgNj7AAe.dpuf
Move follows similar actions by several US towns, cities.
from The New Internationalist
"Oxford has become the first city in Europe to declare itself a ‘Tar-Free City’ after its City Council voted on 24 June to reject the use of tar sands oil by adjusting the policies governing the procurement of fuel for use in the area.
"The city, famous for its university, took the lead from the US where similar declarations have been made. ‘Tar-free’ locations include Bellingham, a US gateway for the tar sands, and Burlington, which lies near the route of a proposed tar sands pipeline. In Vermont alone, 28 towns have made the pledge.
"Nearly 20 US companies have also agreed to stop using tar sands oil in their vehicles. …"
Jun 262013
Budget will lead to more charter schools, decreased emphais on liberal arts subjects.
from the World Socialist Web Site
"The California state legislature last week passed a budget for the 2013-2014 fiscal year. The proposed budget which is expected to be signed by Democratic Governor Brown this week, continues a statewide assault against social programs. This, in spite of a projected budgetary surplus rather than a deficit for the first time since the onset of the financial crisis of 2008. Of the $96 billion in proposed spending, $56.5 billion is owed to K-12 education under the state’s constitutionally-mandated education funding guarantee (known as the Classroom Instructional Improvement and Accountability Act, or Proposition 98). More than $1 billion of that sum will be deferred, however, and used instead to implement provisions championed by private education reform organizations.
"The California state legislature last week passed a budget for the 2013-2014 fiscal year. The proposed budget which is expected to be signed by Democratic Governor Brown this week, continues a statewide assault against social programs. This, in spite of a projected budgetary surplus rather than a deficit for the first time since the onset of the financial crisis of 2008. Of the $96 billion in proposed spending, $56.5 billion is owed to K-12 education under the state’s constitutionally-mandated education funding guarantee (known as the Classroom Instructional Improvement and Accountability Act, or Proposition 98). More than $1 billion of that sum will be deferred, however, and used instead to implement provisions championed by private education reform organizations.
"These include the implementation of the so-called Common Core Standards Initiative and the Local Control Funding Formula (LCFF). The stated aim of the Common Core Standards Program is the replacement of literature and “fictional” texts with purely technical and informational learning materials, along with the outright removal of liberal arts subjects in general in favor of so-called STEM, Science, Technology, Engineering and Math classes. (See: 'What is the Common Core US education initiative?') …"
Jun 262013
Researchers found dissolved methane in water pumped from 82 percent of drinking water wells sampled in northeastern Pennsylvania.
from grist
"While the EPA has been dumping and delaying studies of fracking’s effects on drinking water, new academic research reveals that people who live near natural gas wells in Pennsylvania are drinking the same gases that the frackers are pumping out from the shale beneath their feet.
"Researchers from Duke University, the University of Rochester, and California State Polytechnic University found dissolved methane, which is the main ingredient in natural gas, in water pumped from 82 percent of drinking water wells sampled in northeastern Pennsylvania.
"Methane can occur naturally in the area (that’s what draws frackers there). But the researchers’ study, published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, concludes that levels of the gas were far higher in drinking water wells located close to fracking operations than in other areas. …"
Jun 252013
CAW agrees to expansion of cheap labor at GM’s Oshawa plants.
from the World Socialist Web Site
"The Canadian Auto Workers (CAW) union has entered into an agreement with General Motors to organize special early retirement buyouts at its two assembly plants in Oshawa, Ontario. The move is designed to accelerate the automaker’s drive to replace higher-paid veteran workers with workers earning cheap-labor wages.
"About 350 of the 1,300 employees eligible for retirement at the Oshawa facilities will be offered a one-time inducement of up to $50,000 plus a $20,000 GM auto-purchase voucher to leave the company. They will be replaced by a mixture of temporary workers and new hires, both groups earning wages and benefits far below the compensation received by other GM workers, even after years of concessions contracts.
"The temporary workers will earn about $10 per hour less than their counterparts, receive an inferior benefits program, and be barred from enrolling in the pension plan. New hires will begin work at $14 per hour below the regular-tier rate, will receive reduced benefits and also will be ineligible to participate in the pension plan. …"