The Helen Caldicott Foundation:
“The Symposium: The Dynamics of Possible Nuclear Extinction. Russia and the U.S. possess 94% of the 16,400 nuclear weapons in the global nuclear arsenal. The U.S. maintains its first strike winnable nuclear war policy, and both countries have raised their nuclear arsenals to a higher state of alert because of the situation in the Ukraine. Furthermore it has just been announced that the administration has plans to replace every nuclear warhead and their delivery systems via ship, submarine, missile and plane, at a cost of one trillion dollars over the next thirty years. This symposium to be held by The Helen Caldicott Foundation will address the following issues:
. What are the human and technological factors that could precipitate a nuclear war between Russia and the U.S., how many times have we come close to nuclear war and how long will our luck hold? . What are the ongoing technological and financial developments relevant to the nuclear weapons arsenals of the US and Russia? . What problems are associated with lateral proliferation of nuclear weapons via strenuous corporate marketing of nuclear technology? . What are the medical and environmental consequences of either a small or large scale nuclear war? . What are the underlying philosophical, political, and ideological dynamics that have brought life on earth to the brink of extinction?”
—>This symposium was held last week at the New York Academy of Medicine. Amazing that the insanity of nuclear war isn’t discussed in our media. As we inch closer to the brink, our major news sources cheer on the US war machine.
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Common Dreams:
“Gaza Rebuild Effort Could Take 100 Years: Oxfam. Despair and destruction continue to envelop the blockaded Gaza strip, where the rebuilding of vital structures could take up to a century, Oxfam International has warned.
The organization's statement comes six months after a ceasefire agreement ended Israel's 50-day assault on Gaza, which left over 2,100 Palestinians dead, decimated thousands of structures, and weakened already damaged infrastructure systems.
Oxfam is one of 30 international aid agencies that operate in Gaza, including the Norwegian Refugee Council and United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA), to issue a joint statement Thursday expressing alarm at the slow pace of reconstruction and worsening living conditions for Gaza's residents.”
—>The NYT put this report on-line where it would get much less coverage. Why not print this story of immense suffering and impending genocide? Maybe because protecting Israel has always trumped reporting the truth for our newspaper of record.
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Common Dreams:
“Corporate-Friendly Democrats Mobilize to Drag Party Rightward. So called 'centrist' Democrats are attempting to distance themselves from progressive voices like Sen. Elizabeth Warren.
Afraid ‘a sharp turn to the left could prove disastrous in the 2016 elections,’ factions within the Democratic Party more closely aligned with Wall Street and other corporate interests than with the progressive left are ‘gathering their forces to fight back against the Elizabeth Warren wing of their party,’ The Hill reported Monday.
Framed as a fight between so-called ‘centrists’ of the party and more progressive voices, exemplified by Sen. Warren (D-Mass.), journalist Kevin Cirilli describes how leaders of three corporate-friendly groups—the Progressive Policy Institute (PPI), the New Democrat Network (NDN), and Third Way—are moving to steer the Democratic agenda away from issues like income inequality, the student debt crisis, and corporate tax breaks.”
—>The NYT didn’t report this major battle within the Democratic Party. Why call attention to the fact that both parties serve the same corporate masters? The same corporate elite that controls most of our media.
