Gadhafi, in letter, asks Obama to end air strikes

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/huff-wires/20110406/us-us-libya/

Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi appealed directly to President Barack Obama on Wednesday to end what Gadhafi called "an unjust war." He also wished Obama good luck in his bid for re-election next year.

I think that it is very interesting that Gadhafi, after all of the terrible things that have been said about him would call this war "unjust". 

Nazi Saboteurs' Spectacular Failure Detailed In Newly Released Spy Files

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/04/04/pastorius-nazi-saboteurs-british-spy-files_n_844332.html

I have a huge interest in history so I thought that this article was interesting. It's interesting how things hidden away from what seems to be so long ago still resurface and are of interest. What would have happened if these plans would have worked?

Did the American Dream Emigrate to Europe?

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/jane-white/did-the-american-dream-im_b_845680.html

It seems that we've been talking about the American Dream a lot in most of my classes lately so the article title really caught my attention. The article ended up being about employment and the economies in Europe and the States, and how Europe is thriving in comparison to here.

I really enjoyed some of the comments, some people really thought that the article was very one sided and that the US is actually doing better than the states. I think I am going to do some more research on this topic.

Canadian and American Federal Budgets 2011

This is an article I found on the Canadian federal budget 2011 cut to the environment:

ACTION ALERT: Budget cuts to Environment Canada are unacceptable March 2, 2011 News agencies are reporting that the Harper government is planning a $222-million or 20% reduction in spending at Environment Canada. This includes a $141 million cut to climate change and clean air initiatives, as well as a $19.5-million cut to a federal action plan dealing with contaminated federal sites, and about $3-million in reductions for compliance promotion and enforcement for wildlife and pollution. Meanwhile, in 2010 to 2011, Environment Canada’s program activities amount to just over one billion dollars while National Defence spending is over twenty billion. This is further evidence that the Harper government is out of step with the views of Canadians. According to recent Environics poll, seventy-one percent of Canadians strongly or somewhat agreed with the statement, "money spent on wars and the military would all be better spent on efforts that reduce greenhouse gas emissions and the impacts of climate change.”

This is what I found about the American federal budget 2011 in regards to the environment:

The Republican-controlled U.S. House of Representatives passed sweeping legislation early today that would cut $61 billion from hundreds of federal programs—including many cuts that threaten environmental protections and public health and safety—while shielding oil companies, coal companies, and major polluters from government regulation and oversight. 

H.R. 1 cuts the Environmental Protection Agency's budget by almost a third and hamstrings the EPA's ability to protect the environment and Americans' health. For example, the measure prevents the EPA from protecting communities from mercury, lead, arsenic and other toxic air pollution from cement plants, leaving thousands of children exposed and at risk of asthma, slowed brain development and other neurological disorders. The EPA safeguard that the measure blocks would have reduced mercury pollution by more than 90 percent and saved 2,500 lives each year. 

I feel that both of these cuts are completely unacceptable.  The environment is such an important part of everyone's lives. It provides resources, a place for us to live, clean air for us to breathe, food, etc. We've abused it so badly and these cuts to me show that neither government cares about the environment nor do they recognize its' importance to everyday life. 

http://canadians.org/action/2011/env-can-cutbacks.html
http://environment.about.com/od/environmentallawpolicy/a/House-Budget-Cuts-Threaten-Environment-And-Public-Safety.htm

Cell Phones And Brain Cells: Where The Two Meet

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/david-katz-md/cell-phone-brain-cells_b_828789.html


I thought that this was an interesting article reporting on a study regarding the effect of cell phones on the human brain. It made me think of when they were doing research to see if colony collapse disorder among honeybees in North America was due to cell phone waves and radiation. 


It was weird that although they have found some sort of result that they were unable to interpret it and to give a solid answer to the research that they were doing. I think whether the results show something or not that it shows how as humans we just use stuff because it's cool or helpful and don't think of potential health effects of that technology. 

WHO confirms swine flu vaccine child narcolepsy concerns

http://www.physorg.com/news/2011-02-swine-flu-vaccine-child-narcolepsy_1.html


For another class I need to read three different articles a week on different things to help shape my idea of environmentalism and to contemplate the effects of world events on how we view the environment. I came across this article and thought it was really interesting so I'm posting it here.


I thought it was really interesting how they are thinking that there might be a link between Narcolepsy, a sleeping disorder, and the swine flu vaccine. I'm personally really against mass vaccination such as what happened last year, especially with a vaccine that isn't hugely tested. Although narcolepsy I guess isn't a huge serious illness, if the vaccine can be linked to that, then what else could it be causing as an unknown side effect ?

Undercover at an Arizona Gun Show

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/michael-bloomberg/undercover-at-an-arizona_b_816381.html


"In that investigation, we found out just how easy it is for criminals and the mentally ill to walk in and buy guns - no questions asked. It called attention to a huge loophole in the law that enables criminals and other dangerous people like drug abusers and the mentally ill to get guns without having to go through a background check."


I thought that this was a really interesting article from the Huffington Post. A group of people went undercover to see how easy it was to buy guns in Arizona. The answer: "As easy as buying fries at McDonalds" was the answer they gave in the article.


The point of this investigation was to show how easy it is for mentally ill people to purchase guns. The death of Gabrielle Gifford is just one example of the harm that mentally ill people can do, especially when given arms. 


I thought that this article was really interesting and that it raised some good points and examples of loopholes in gun laws in the States. I hope that their investigation is something that can be used to help fix these glaring errors in the laws that have been passed. 

Mubarak Tells Egypt He Will Not Seek Re-Election

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/02/01/mubarak-tells-egypt-he-wi_n_817132.html


I think that this whole thing that has been happening in Egypt and other countries is really interesting. I haven't been reading too much on it, but what I have read I've found intriguing. I thought it was interesting how he's staying in power and is staying in Egypt although it's clear that Egypt's citizens don't want him there but isn't running in the re-election. It's probably about time, I think 82 years old is a little old to be running a country.


However, I feel that websites such as Al Jazeera can give a more accurate viewpoint than websites such as The Huffington Post. I feel that a western world viewpoint on things happening in middle eastern countries is largely inaccurate.  This may be because I'm half Lebanese and my father was in the Phalange for 11 years.   I've been raised with a really different viewpoint on Middle Eastern politics because of this I think. I just don't understand how people here can feel like they can go into Middle Eastern countries and feel that they fully understand the conflict when they see it from the viewpoint of being from a rich and privileged country such as Canada or the U.S.A. I really don't feel that we are in a position to occupy these countries and try to tell them how to do things when we really can't appreciate their long and rich histories and culture.

United Kingdom - Iraq Inquiry told to "protect US interests"

So for my first non-mainstream media blog I decided to finally take a look at Wikileaks, a website that is intended to post articles of non-mainstream news. Flipping through Wikileaks, I felt that the website was awkward to use and I didn't like how it was laid out. Also, with all the "//SECRET" and stuff like that on the website, I feel like it's just for people who are really into conspiracy theories to help prove their point rather than anything actually tangible. 


The article just spoke of a meeting that apparently happened between some governmental figures regarding the Iraq War.  The quote below is what I found to be the most interesting out of the article I read:  "Chilcot replied, “Discussions and evidence sessions are not necessarily the same thing, and of course we have no power to compel witnesses here, let alone people in foreign governments. Nonetheless, I accept the thrust behind your question, that the Anglo-American relationship is one of the most central parts of this inquiry, and how that was conducted is something that we need to get a very strong understanding of.”"


This quote I felt shows how good people have gotten at manipulating the English language and the various meanings that things can have. I don't think it necessarily surprises me that the government is corrupt to the point that other countries are protecting other governments when it comes to things like this, but it was just an interesting read. 




http://wikileaks.ch/Iraq-Inquiry-told-to-protect-US.html