TECHIE TUESDAY: According to the conservative law-drafters ALEC your solar panels make you “free riders.” What’s that all about? Isaiah Poole reveals the “right wing attack on our solar future.” He says ALEC wants state laws that proclaim people who invest in energy-efficiency and shrinking our carbon footprints ought to be penalized.… Read the rest
The Arctic 30 are finally going home. Twenty-eight activists and two freelance journalists were jailed after a peaceful protest at an Arctic oil platform operated by Gazprom. The Greenpeace International ship Arctic Sunrise was illegally boarded by the Russian Coast Guard and her crew was arrested and charged with piracy and hooliganism.… Read the rest
“Overcoming poverty is not a task of charity, it is an act of justice. Like Slavery and Apartheid, poverty is not natural. It is man-made and it can be overcome and eradicated by the actions of human beings. Sometimes it falls on a generation to be great.… Read the rest
Soapbox Saturday: David Harvey’s new book is The Seventeen Contradictions of Capitalism. Why focus on its contradictions? Harvey says “The analysis of capitalism suggests that there are significant and foundational contradictions. Periodically those contradictions get out of hand and they generate a crisis.… Read the rest
Wild Friday: In New York City cop-kissed protesters march against the racially lopsided policy “Stop and Kiss” where cops can kiss anyone who looks suspicious. “You don’t see them kissing any pretty white women!” complains a black guy who has just had enough of being kissed without warning!… Read the rest
Worldwide Wednesday: Only in Florida? In Tallahassee a homemade “Festivus” pole is being erected in the same first-floor rotunda as a Nativity scene. The idea and pole arose from Chaz Stevens, a Deerfield Beach resident who applied to the state Department of Management Services to put the Festivus pole on display. … Read the rest
Techie Tuesday: It speaks volumes when 8 arch-rival tech giants ban together to limit government surveillance” notes Jesselyn Radack at the Government Accountability Project.
In an open letter to President Obama and members of Congress, AOL, Apple, Facebook, Google, LinkedIn, Microsoft, Twitter and Yahoo, write:
… Read the restWe understand that governments have a duty to protect their citizens.
Mother Earth Monday: Update on our holiday tree dilemma is that we settled on a live tree for our home that we will plant after the festivities. Meet Felicia Navidad, our 2013 tree.
Felicia is delicate and required special care. We used a metal rod to support her upper trunk and we used the tiny, antique decorations because her branches are supple and soft. … Read the rest
Vital Sunday: Pope Francis has tossed off the golden garb and sneaks out to feed the homeless, says Think Progress. “The leader of the Catholic Church has been quietly sneaking out of the Vatican at night to minister to homeless residents” they report. … Read the rest
Soapbox Saturday: A few Nelson Mandela quotes which you might have missed:
“A critical, independent and investigative press is the lifeblood of any democracy. The press must be free from state interference. It must have the economic strength to stand up to the blandishments of government officials.… Read the rest
Wild Friday: Have you heard? The new building at the site of the World Trade Center twin towers is haunted! This video has the screams of the dead – or is it something else? Some say the unique shape creates an Aeolian harp, others say it’s the spire.… Read the rest
Thirsty Thursday: Home of the world famous Touch Tunnel, Great Explorations Children’s Museum in St. Petersburg, Florida commissioned a giant pop-up Wizard of Oz book exhibit which you can visit! Here is tiny portion of my interview with designer Bruce Barry of Wacky World. … Read the rest
Techie Tuesday: Greatly disturbed by mass internet surveillance, the Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF) have announced plans to ramp up online security. You may never have heard of them, but the IETF are the creators and engineers of the internet’s architecture.… Read the rest
Mother Earth Monday: A live tree or no tree? In our house we debate replacing our tattered 12-year-old artificial holiday bush with a real “recycled” tree, still in a bucket of dirt, with a home in the yard during the off season. … Read the rest
Rachmaninoff said, ‘Music is enough for a lifetime, but a lifetime is not enough for music.’