I had an email this morning from a very well intentioned activist in another part of the country urging people to turn out today for an "emergency" vigil to mark the death of the 1,000th U.S. GI killed in Afghanistan. Without trying to put down this effort I must say I don't think it is the most effective way to organize to stop endless war. Why is it an emergency when the 1,000th soldier dies? What about the 500th GI or the 10,000th innocent civilian killed in that war torn country? And probably most importantly, in what way is the organizer of the "emergency" demo educating his fellow local citizens about the real impacts of these wars?

cleantechnica.com—A new study from West Virginia University exposes one more dirty little secret about America’s favorite fossil fuel, coal. Though coal mining is touted as an economic boon to local communities, the study reviews mortality statistics to conclude that coal mining communities in Appalachia are among the weakest economies in their home states, and in the country. The study, “Mortality in Appalachian Coal Mining Regions,” appears in the July-August issue of Public Health Reports, the official journal of the U.S. Public Health Services.

thedailynuisance.com—In a uniquely Canadian polite and subtle way, the country’s Conservative government has made a clear statement in support of Israel’s continued siege on Gaza and entrenched Palestinian division. Slashing its funding to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) while transferring that support to the Palestinian Authority’s (PA) judicial sector – specifically towards training prosecutors, judges and police – Canada is using aid to make its political intentsions clear.

Revenue Canada asked to Cancel Tax Exemptions of Roman Catholic, Anglican and United Church of Canada at Vancouver Protest:

At a morning press conference and protest yesterday, members of The Friends and Relatives of the Disappeared (FRD) delivered to Revenue Canada a petition signed by nearly 2,000 people which called for an end to federal tax exemptions for the churches responsible for the deaths of thousands of children in their Indian residential schools.

"These churches are guilty of thousands of deaths in their residential schools, they were never registered as charitable societies under the law, and they are in gross violation of the Income Tax Act. Why should Canadians subsidize such fraud and murder any longer?" declared FRD organizer Kevin Annett to the news media gathered at the downtown Vancouver taxation office.

The petition follows on numerous failed attempts by aboriginal families to compel these churches to return the remains of children who died in their residential schools.

As black history month draws to a close, I worry increasingly about the overt racism towards America's first African-American president (regardless of his policies), and the continuing momentum of Islamophobia in America and around the world.

mimundo-photoessays.org—“The so-called 80’s were characterized by a wave of violence in several countries in Latin America. Our country, Honduras, was not an exception. Even though the phenomenon of ‘disappearances’ occurred mostly during the military dictatorships, many people also vanished during democratically elected governments.” (1)

Geoengineers Bid to Establish Voluntary Testing Regime Must be Opposed

While most scientists left the Copenhagen Climate Summit feeling gloomy about their influence, a small group of geoengineering advocates came away emboldened by the summits weak outcome and uncertain road ahead. This group of scientists aims to get on with research and experimentation in controversial geoengineering technologies. Their real excitement is over solar radiation management (SRM). This is a way of cooling down the planets thermostat by reflecting a portion of the suns rays back to outer space, through a variety of techniques ranging from sunshades in space, to aerosol sulphates in the stratosphere, to whitening clouds. These high-risk, planet-altering schemes affect global warming without changing its cause which is excessive greenhouse gases in the atmosphere.