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marmar
marmar's Journal
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January 23, 2013
from US News & World Report:
Cable Green doesn't have to look very far to find an example of an education system weighed down by what he considers a bloated and inefficient textbook industry. The director of global learning for Creative Commons simply points to his home state of Washington. "My state spends $130 million per year buying textbooks," he says. "We only have a million public school kids in the state, so we're spending $130 per kid per year." Because each book is expected to last half a decade, the kids aren't permitted to keep them or write in them. The books are only available in one format, paper, and are sometimes seven to 10 years out of date. If one of Green's kids loses a textbook, as a parent Green is expected to fork over the money to replace it.
A superior alternative, he believes, would be easy to execute. "Instead of spending $130 million a year getting those outcomes, what if the state put up $100 million in one time money," he suggests. "We have 12 grades and eight textbooks per grade, so what if we put up a $1 million (request for proposal) for each book, and anyone can reply. The professors from the best universities can reply. McGraw Hill can reply. It's an open RFP, but the conditions are that the books are licensed under Creative Commons because they're paid for with taxpayer money."
Under this model, the intellectual property that results from these purchases would be owned by the public. In addition to being free to download online, the schools can print up paper versions for less than $5 per copy. Perhaps more importantly, the kids, once they complete the grade, would be permitted to keep the books, using them in the future if they need to. From there, the state would only have to spend approximately $10 million a year to ensure all the textbooks are updated with timely information. "It would save the state $120 million a year, and we'd actually have resources that our kids can use," Green says. "This isn't difficult."
The Creative Commons license celebrated its 10-year anniversary in December. And though the state of Washington has yet to adopt such a reform, several governments, both in the U.S. and across the globe, have passed and implemented similar policies as they've struggled to address the rising costs plaguing both lower and higher education systems. This movement, often referred to as open education resources (OER), threatens to upend what many reformers consider an anachronistic textbook industry, one that's ripe for disruption and change. ...............(more)
The complete piece is at: http://www.usnews.com/news/articles/2013/01/17/the-growing-adoption-of-creative-commons-textbooks
The Growing Adoption of Creative Commons Textbooks
from US News & World Report:
Cable Green doesn't have to look very far to find an example of an education system weighed down by what he considers a bloated and inefficient textbook industry. The director of global learning for Creative Commons simply points to his home state of Washington. "My state spends $130 million per year buying textbooks," he says. "We only have a million public school kids in the state, so we're spending $130 per kid per year." Because each book is expected to last half a decade, the kids aren't permitted to keep them or write in them. The books are only available in one format, paper, and are sometimes seven to 10 years out of date. If one of Green's kids loses a textbook, as a parent Green is expected to fork over the money to replace it.
A superior alternative, he believes, would be easy to execute. "Instead of spending $130 million a year getting those outcomes, what if the state put up $100 million in one time money," he suggests. "We have 12 grades and eight textbooks per grade, so what if we put up a $1 million (request for proposal) for each book, and anyone can reply. The professors from the best universities can reply. McGraw Hill can reply. It's an open RFP, but the conditions are that the books are licensed under Creative Commons because they're paid for with taxpayer money."
Under this model, the intellectual property that results from these purchases would be owned by the public. In addition to being free to download online, the schools can print up paper versions for less than $5 per copy. Perhaps more importantly, the kids, once they complete the grade, would be permitted to keep the books, using them in the future if they need to. From there, the state would only have to spend approximately $10 million a year to ensure all the textbooks are updated with timely information. "It would save the state $120 million a year, and we'd actually have resources that our kids can use," Green says. "This isn't difficult."
The Creative Commons license celebrated its 10-year anniversary in December. And though the state of Washington has yet to adopt such a reform, several governments, both in the U.S. and across the globe, have passed and implemented similar policies as they've struggled to address the rising costs plaguing both lower and higher education systems. This movement, often referred to as open education resources (OER), threatens to upend what many reformers consider an anachronistic textbook industry, one that's ripe for disruption and change. ...............(more)
The complete piece is at: http://www.usnews.com/news/articles/2013/01/17/the-growing-adoption-of-creative-commons-textbooks
January 23, 2013
from truthdig:
Global Warming Is a Domestic Crisis
Posted on Jan 22, 2013
By Juan Cole
As President Obama made clear in his inaugural address Monday, failing to confront the threat of climate change in his second term would be a betrayal of future generations. “Some may still deny the overwhelming judgment of science,” Obama said, “but none can avoid the devastating impact of raging fires, and crippling drought and more powerful storms.” Actually, there are some who can avoid fires, drought and storms, but most of them voted for Mitt Romney.
At a time of continued unemployment and Republican assaults on workers’ rights, the climate crisis may not seem like a pressing bread and butter concern. However it is vital for the president and his allies in Congress to remember that those Americans most defenseless against extreme weather and natural disasters form the backbone of the Democratic Party.
That is the only conclusion one can draw from the draft of a new federal study on global warming’s growing impact on the United States. Those who stand for workers and the middle class, and for the rights of minorities, women and the underprivileged in our increasingly unequal society, are facing yet another epochal struggle. The carbon dioxide being spewed into the atmosphere by the coal, oil and gas corporations threatens the well-being of the 99 percent on a whole range of new fronts.
Climate change is provoking more and more drastic weather events. Residents along coastal regions are at risk both from more violent storms and from a projected 3- to 4-foot sea level rise over the next eight decades. The enormous storm surge caused by Hurricane Sandy is an example of these new threats. Hurricanes require warm water to remain active, and Sandy fed off of high Atlantic temperatures in waters that have historically been much colder. ............(more)
The complete piece is at: http://www.truthdig.com/report/item/global_warming_is_a_domestic_crisis_20130122/
Juan Cole: Global Warming Is a Domestic Crisis
from truthdig:
Global Warming Is a Domestic Crisis
Posted on Jan 22, 2013
By Juan Cole
As President Obama made clear in his inaugural address Monday, failing to confront the threat of climate change in his second term would be a betrayal of future generations. “Some may still deny the overwhelming judgment of science,” Obama said, “but none can avoid the devastating impact of raging fires, and crippling drought and more powerful storms.” Actually, there are some who can avoid fires, drought and storms, but most of them voted for Mitt Romney.
At a time of continued unemployment and Republican assaults on workers’ rights, the climate crisis may not seem like a pressing bread and butter concern. However it is vital for the president and his allies in Congress to remember that those Americans most defenseless against extreme weather and natural disasters form the backbone of the Democratic Party.
That is the only conclusion one can draw from the draft of a new federal study on global warming’s growing impact on the United States. Those who stand for workers and the middle class, and for the rights of minorities, women and the underprivileged in our increasingly unequal society, are facing yet another epochal struggle. The carbon dioxide being spewed into the atmosphere by the coal, oil and gas corporations threatens the well-being of the 99 percent on a whole range of new fronts.
Climate change is provoking more and more drastic weather events. Residents along coastal regions are at risk both from more violent storms and from a projected 3- to 4-foot sea level rise over the next eight decades. The enormous storm surge caused by Hurricane Sandy is an example of these new threats. Hurricanes require warm water to remain active, and Sandy fed off of high Atlantic temperatures in waters that have historically been much colder. ............(more)
The complete piece is at: http://www.truthdig.com/report/item/global_warming_is_a_domestic_crisis_20130122/
January 22, 2013
from Democracy Now!:
Dirty Wars: Jeremy Scahill and Rick Rowley’s New Film Exposes Hidden Truths of Covert U.S. Warfare
Premiering this week at the Sundance Film Festival in Utah, the new documentary "Dirty Wars: The World is a Battlefield" follows investigative reporter Jeremy Scahill to Afghanistan, Somalia and Yemen as he chases down the hidden truths behind America’s expanding covert wars. We’re joined by Scahill and the film’s director, Rick Rowley, an independent journalist with Big Noise Films. "We’re looking right now at a reality that President Obama has essentially extended the very policies that many of his supporters once opposed under President Bush," says Scahill, author of the bestseller "Blackwater: The Rise of the World’s Most Powerful Mercenary Army" and a forthcoming book named after his film. "One of the things that humbles both of us is that when you arrive in a village in Afghanistan and knock on someone’s door, you’re the first American they’ve seen since the Americans that kicked that door in and killed half their family," Rowley says. "We promised them that we would do everything we could to make their stories be heard in the U.S. ... Finally we’re able to keep those promises."
........(snip)........
AMY GOODMAN: And I think it’s very appropriate to begin our four days of broadcasting here at Park City, on this day after the inauguration of President Obama, to begin with Dirty Wars: The World is a Battlefield.
Jeremy, talk about President Obama’s first four years and where we’re going now. You got a chance to hear his inaugural address; what you thought of it?
JEREMY SCAHILL: Well, you know, I think if we look back at the—at the first term of the Obama administration, what we saw was you had this very popular Democratic president that had—who had campaigned, in terms of his broader rhetoric during the presidential campaign against John McCain, on the notion that he was going to transform the way that the U.S. conducted its foreign policy around the world. And, you know, he then proceeded to double down on some of the greatest excesses of the Bush administration. If you look at the use of the state secrets privilege; if you look at the way the Obama administration has expanded the drone wars; has empowered special operations forces, including from JSOC, the Joint Special Operations Command, to operate in countries where the United States is not at war; if you look at the way in which the Obama administration has essentially boxed Congress out of any effective oversight role of the covert aspects of U.S. foreign policy, what we really have is a president who has normalized, for many, many liberals in the United States, the policies that they once opposed under the Bush administration. And, you know, this really has been a war presidency.
And, you know, yesterday, as the—as President Obama’s talking about how we don’t need a state of perpetual war, multiple U.S. drone strikes in Yemen, a country that we’re not at war with, where the U.S. has killed a tremendous number of civilians. Rick and I have spent a lot of time on the ground in Yemen. And, you know, to me, most disturbing about this is John Brennan, who really was the architect of this drone program and the expansion of the drone program—these guys are sitting around on Tuesdays at the White House in "Terror Tuesday" meetings, discussing who’s going to live and who’s going to die across the world. These guys have decided— ....................(more)
The complete piece is at: http://www.democracynow.org/2013/1/22/dirty_wars_jeremy_scahill_and_rick
Dirty Wars: Jeremy Scahill & Rick Rowley's New Film Exposes Hidden Truths of Covert U.S. Warfare
from Democracy Now!:
Dirty Wars: Jeremy Scahill and Rick Rowley’s New Film Exposes Hidden Truths of Covert U.S. Warfare
Premiering this week at the Sundance Film Festival in Utah, the new documentary "Dirty Wars: The World is a Battlefield" follows investigative reporter Jeremy Scahill to Afghanistan, Somalia and Yemen as he chases down the hidden truths behind America’s expanding covert wars. We’re joined by Scahill and the film’s director, Rick Rowley, an independent journalist with Big Noise Films. "We’re looking right now at a reality that President Obama has essentially extended the very policies that many of his supporters once opposed under President Bush," says Scahill, author of the bestseller "Blackwater: The Rise of the World’s Most Powerful Mercenary Army" and a forthcoming book named after his film. "One of the things that humbles both of us is that when you arrive in a village in Afghanistan and knock on someone’s door, you’re the first American they’ve seen since the Americans that kicked that door in and killed half their family," Rowley says. "We promised them that we would do everything we could to make their stories be heard in the U.S. ... Finally we’re able to keep those promises."
........(snip)........
AMY GOODMAN: And I think it’s very appropriate to begin our four days of broadcasting here at Park City, on this day after the inauguration of President Obama, to begin with Dirty Wars: The World is a Battlefield.
Jeremy, talk about President Obama’s first four years and where we’re going now. You got a chance to hear his inaugural address; what you thought of it?
JEREMY SCAHILL: Well, you know, I think if we look back at the—at the first term of the Obama administration, what we saw was you had this very popular Democratic president that had—who had campaigned, in terms of his broader rhetoric during the presidential campaign against John McCain, on the notion that he was going to transform the way that the U.S. conducted its foreign policy around the world. And, you know, he then proceeded to double down on some of the greatest excesses of the Bush administration. If you look at the use of the state secrets privilege; if you look at the way the Obama administration has expanded the drone wars; has empowered special operations forces, including from JSOC, the Joint Special Operations Command, to operate in countries where the United States is not at war; if you look at the way in which the Obama administration has essentially boxed Congress out of any effective oversight role of the covert aspects of U.S. foreign policy, what we really have is a president who has normalized, for many, many liberals in the United States, the policies that they once opposed under the Bush administration. And, you know, this really has been a war presidency.
And, you know, yesterday, as the—as President Obama’s talking about how we don’t need a state of perpetual war, multiple U.S. drone strikes in Yemen, a country that we’re not at war with, where the U.S. has killed a tremendous number of civilians. Rick and I have spent a lot of time on the ground in Yemen. And, you know, to me, most disturbing about this is John Brennan, who really was the architect of this drone program and the expansion of the drone program—these guys are sitting around on Tuesdays at the White House in "Terror Tuesday" meetings, discussing who’s going to live and who’s going to die across the world. These guys have decided— ....................(more)
The complete piece is at: http://www.democracynow.org/2013/1/22/dirty_wars_jeremy_scahill_and_rick
January 22, 2013
from HuffPost:
Former Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich (R-Ga.) approved of 80 percent of President Barack Obama's inaugural address, he told Newsmax on Tuesday. The rest, he said, was "goofy left-wingism."
"Let’s look at this speech and underline everything you agree with,” the former presidential candidate said. “If Ronald Reagan had given this speech, and you read it -- and, not knowing who gave it -- you could see that it was almost identical to something he would have said."
Gingrich continued, claiming that Obama left some of his rhetoric open to interpretation in ways that conservatives could use to bolster the movement's goals.
“Because he talked about having a good work ethic, I’d say: ‘Let’s reform unemployment compensation, with a requirement that you educate yourself so you can get a new job -- because we should not be paying people to do nothing’ -- and we can cite it as being a part of Barack Obama’s agenda,” Gingrich said. ................(more)
The complete piece is at: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/01/22/newt-gingrich-obama_n_2526011.html?ncid=edlinkusaolp00000009
Newt Gingrich: Obama Inaugural Speech Featured 'Goofy Left-Wingism,' Like Climate Change
from HuffPost:
Former Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich (R-Ga.) approved of 80 percent of President Barack Obama's inaugural address, he told Newsmax on Tuesday. The rest, he said, was "goofy left-wingism."
"Let’s look at this speech and underline everything you agree with,” the former presidential candidate said. “If Ronald Reagan had given this speech, and you read it -- and, not knowing who gave it -- you could see that it was almost identical to something he would have said."
Gingrich continued, claiming that Obama left some of his rhetoric open to interpretation in ways that conservatives could use to bolster the movement's goals.
“Because he talked about having a good work ethic, I’d say: ‘Let’s reform unemployment compensation, with a requirement that you educate yourself so you can get a new job -- because we should not be paying people to do nothing’ -- and we can cite it as being a part of Barack Obama’s agenda,” Gingrich said. ................(more)
The complete piece is at: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/01/22/newt-gingrich-obama_n_2526011.html?ncid=edlinkusaolp00000009
January 22, 2013
from the Atlantic:
Graph: How Coffee Drank Soda's Milkshake
By Derek Thompson
Jan 18 2013, 11:33 AM ET 43
Ten years ago, Americans drank enough soda every year to fill a small aquarium. Fifty-three gallons of the stuff per person. That's half a liter of Diet Coke on an average day. Compare that to our other favorite liquid-caffeine companion. For every cup of coffee we consumed in 2003, we drank two cups of soft drink. For $1 we spent on joe, we spent $4 on soda.
Now look where we are: Soda is in a free fall, with domestic revenue down 40%. Coffee culture is ascendant, up 50% in ten years. In another decade, the United States could easily spend more on coffee than soda -- something utterly unthinkable at the turn of the century (industry data via IBISWorld)
.................(more)
The complete piece is at: http://www.theatlantic.com/business/archive/2013/01/graph-how-coffee-drank-sodas-milkshake/267318/
Graph: How Coffee Drank Soda's Milkshake
from the Atlantic:
Graph: How Coffee Drank Soda's Milkshake
By Derek Thompson
Jan 18 2013, 11:33 AM ET 43
Ten years ago, Americans drank enough soda every year to fill a small aquarium. Fifty-three gallons of the stuff per person. That's half a liter of Diet Coke on an average day. Compare that to our other favorite liquid-caffeine companion. For every cup of coffee we consumed in 2003, we drank two cups of soft drink. For $1 we spent on joe, we spent $4 on soda.
Now look where we are: Soda is in a free fall, with domestic revenue down 40%. Coffee culture is ascendant, up 50% in ten years. In another decade, the United States could easily spend more on coffee than soda -- something utterly unthinkable at the turn of the century (industry data via IBISWorld)
.................(more)
The complete piece is at: http://www.theatlantic.com/business/archive/2013/01/graph-how-coffee-drank-sodas-milkshake/267318/
January 22, 2013
http://blog.al.com/breaking/2013/01/huntsville_police_robber_deman.html
HUNTSVILLE, Alabama -- Huntsville police arrested a man whom officers report attempted to rob the Starbucks Coffee on Airport Road on Sunday morning.
Police said Phillip Sawdey approached the cashier at the business and demanded "all the cash." The cashier told Sawdey she was unable to open the cash drawer and then offered him a coffee instead.
Sawdey took the coffee and left the store, the report shows, and officers found him walking in a nearby parking lot. Upon their investigation, they arrested Sawdey for robbery without incident.
Huntsville police: Robber demands money from Starbucks; cashier gives him a coffee instead
http://blog.al.com/breaking/2013/01/huntsville_police_robber_deman.html
HUNTSVILLE, Alabama -- Huntsville police arrested a man whom officers report attempted to rob the Starbucks Coffee on Airport Road on Sunday morning.
Police said Phillip Sawdey approached the cashier at the business and demanded "all the cash." The cashier told Sawdey she was unable to open the cash drawer and then offered him a coffee instead.
Sawdey took the coffee and left the store, the report shows, and officers found him walking in a nearby parking lot. Upon their investigation, they arrested Sawdey for robbery without incident.
January 22, 2013
(Guardian UK) Boeing could face months of delays before its Dreamliner 787 can get back in service, according to the former head of the US Department of Transport.
Mary Schiavo, the former DoT inspector general, said it looked increasingly unlikely that a quick fix will be found to the battery issues that have led to the global grounding of Boeing's hi-tech aircraft.
"It looks like an unfortunate situation for Boeing. It looks like there is not going to be a quick solution, and that we are not looking at days of grounding but possibly months," she said.
"So far, at least, it appears not to have been a bad batch of batteries, which would have been the best of all possible worlds for Boeing," she said. ..................(more)
The complete piece is at: http://www.guardian.co.uk/business/2013/jan/21/boeing-7870-dreamliner-fire-split-regulators
Boeing faces lengthy Dreamliner delay, former US transport chief warns
(Guardian UK) Boeing could face months of delays before its Dreamliner 787 can get back in service, according to the former head of the US Department of Transport.
Mary Schiavo, the former DoT inspector general, said it looked increasingly unlikely that a quick fix will be found to the battery issues that have led to the global grounding of Boeing's hi-tech aircraft.
"It looks like an unfortunate situation for Boeing. It looks like there is not going to be a quick solution, and that we are not looking at days of grounding but possibly months," she said.
"So far, at least, it appears not to have been a bad batch of batteries, which would have been the best of all possible worlds for Boeing," she said. ..................(more)
The complete piece is at: http://www.guardian.co.uk/business/2013/jan/21/boeing-7870-dreamliner-fire-split-regulators
January 22, 2013
from HuffPost:
Dr. Cristián Samper
President and CEO, Wildlife Conservation Society
More Than Hope for Tigers
Posted: 01/09/2013 6:16 pm
I recently visited the Western Ghat mountains in South India with my colleagues from the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS). We drove on small paths through the teak forests in search of wildlife. You can't help but feel a stirring in your soul to see peacocks, elephants, gaur, sloth bears, wild dogs and tigers in their native habitat.
One of the best moments of the trip came the last morning as we drove in the early hours of the day. That's when we saw a large female tiger walking on the service road ahead of us. We followed her for about 15 minutes, as she marked her territory and stopped to listen to the forest from time to time. Then she was gone. It is amazing to see how a 350-pound animal can vanish into the shrubs in seconds.
My mind can't stop thinking about that one tiger. With the big cats dwindling in numbers across their habitat, her story teaches us a lot about why some tigers are still surviving. She is symbolic of successful efforts that will help us ensure that this magnificent and fierce species does not blink out of existence. That's a bold statement, but I truly believe we can achieve this conservation success.
The tiger I observed lives in Nagarahole, where we have developed a formula that, if replicated, will help to ensure that tigers do not go extinct. There, the government is truly committed, science informs action, and partners work together behind long-term investments. With these elements in play, Nagarahole has experienced a 300 percent increase in its tiger population over the past two decades. ............................(more)
The complete piece is at: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/dr-cristian-samper/more-than-hope-for-tigers_b_2431247.html
Finally, some good news about the world's most fabulous feline.....
from HuffPost:
Dr. Cristián Samper
President and CEO, Wildlife Conservation Society
More Than Hope for Tigers
Posted: 01/09/2013 6:16 pm
I recently visited the Western Ghat mountains in South India with my colleagues from the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS). We drove on small paths through the teak forests in search of wildlife. You can't help but feel a stirring in your soul to see peacocks, elephants, gaur, sloth bears, wild dogs and tigers in their native habitat.
One of the best moments of the trip came the last morning as we drove in the early hours of the day. That's when we saw a large female tiger walking on the service road ahead of us. We followed her for about 15 minutes, as she marked her territory and stopped to listen to the forest from time to time. Then she was gone. It is amazing to see how a 350-pound animal can vanish into the shrubs in seconds.
My mind can't stop thinking about that one tiger. With the big cats dwindling in numbers across their habitat, her story teaches us a lot about why some tigers are still surviving. She is symbolic of successful efforts that will help us ensure that this magnificent and fierce species does not blink out of existence. That's a bold statement, but I truly believe we can achieve this conservation success.
The tiger I observed lives in Nagarahole, where we have developed a formula that, if replicated, will help to ensure that tigers do not go extinct. There, the government is truly committed, science informs action, and partners work together behind long-term investments. With these elements in play, Nagarahole has experienced a 300 percent increase in its tiger population over the past two decades. ............................(more)
The complete piece is at: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/dr-cristian-samper/more-than-hope-for-tigers_b_2431247.html
January 22, 2013
[font size="1"] Tilikum the orca dragged a trainer to her death in 2010 at SeaWorld Orlando.
Sara Hoffman photo[/font]
from the Toronto Star:
By Linda Barnard
Movies Writer
PARK CITY, UTAH—Opening with a heart-stopping 2010 video of SeaWorld Orlando senior trainer Dawn Brancheau being dragged to her death by Tilikum, an orca known for killing before, Gabriela Cowperthwaite’s documentary Blackfish is enough to make anybody think twice about the wisdom of turning whales into performers.
Blackfish, which had its world premiere at the Sundance Film Festival, relies on often-disturbing video shot by various park guests and trainers that shows orcas turning on staff in what experts in the film explain are not acts of aggression, but rather frustration at being held in, as one describes it, “a concrete bathtub.”
In fact, there are 70 documented cases of attacks by orcas at marine parks globally, including at the now-shuttered Sealand of the Pacific in Victoria, B.C., in 1991. Two women who witnessed the fatal attack on part-time trainer Keltie Byrne describe the incident in horrifying detail. The whale responsible for her death, Tilikum, was then sold to SeaWorld.
The trainers interviewed in Blackfish, many of whom came to SeaWorld with no prior experience or knowledge of killer whales, speak, occasionally tearfully, about the sense of responsibility they felt for the animals they worked with, even after attacks or close calls.
SeaWorld refused to be interviewed for the doc. .........................(more)
The complete piece is at: http://www.thestar.com/entertainment/movies/article/1318160--sundance-blackfish-asks-why-killer-whales-kill
Sundance: 'Blackfish' asks why killer whales kill
[font size="1"] Tilikum the orca dragged a trainer to her death in 2010 at SeaWorld Orlando.
Sara Hoffman photo[/font]
from the Toronto Star:
By Linda Barnard
Movies Writer
PARK CITY, UTAH—Opening with a heart-stopping 2010 video of SeaWorld Orlando senior trainer Dawn Brancheau being dragged to her death by Tilikum, an orca known for killing before, Gabriela Cowperthwaite’s documentary Blackfish is enough to make anybody think twice about the wisdom of turning whales into performers.
Blackfish, which had its world premiere at the Sundance Film Festival, relies on often-disturbing video shot by various park guests and trainers that shows orcas turning on staff in what experts in the film explain are not acts of aggression, but rather frustration at being held in, as one describes it, “a concrete bathtub.”
In fact, there are 70 documented cases of attacks by orcas at marine parks globally, including at the now-shuttered Sealand of the Pacific in Victoria, B.C., in 1991. Two women who witnessed the fatal attack on part-time trainer Keltie Byrne describe the incident in horrifying detail. The whale responsible for her death, Tilikum, was then sold to SeaWorld.
The trainers interviewed in Blackfish, many of whom came to SeaWorld with no prior experience or knowledge of killer whales, speak, occasionally tearfully, about the sense of responsibility they felt for the animals they worked with, even after attacks or close calls.
SeaWorld refused to be interviewed for the doc. .........................(more)
The complete piece is at: http://www.thestar.com/entertainment/movies/article/1318160--sundance-blackfish-asks-why-killer-whales-kill
January 22, 2013
from TomDispatch:
Powder Keg in the Pacific
Will China-Japan-U.S. Tensions in the Pacific Ignite a Conflict and Sink the Global Economy?
By Michael T. Klare
Don’t look now, but conditions are deteriorating in the western Pacific. Things are turning ugly, with consequences that could prove deadly and spell catastrophe for the global economy.
In Washington, it is widely assumed that a showdown with Iran over its nuclear ambitions will be the first major crisis to engulf the next secretary of defense -- whether it be former Senator Chuck Hagel, as President Obama desires, or someone else if he fails to win Senate confirmation. With few signs of an imminent breakthrough in talks aimed at peacefully resolving the Iranian nuclear issue, many analysts believe that military action -- if not by Israel, than by the United States -- could be on this year’s agenda.
Lurking just behind the Iranian imbroglio, however, is a potential crisis of far greater magnitude, and potentially far more imminent than most of us imagine. China’s determination to assert control over disputed islands in the potentially energy-rich waters of the East and South China Seas, in the face of stiffening resistance from Japan and the Philippines along with greater regional assertiveness by the United States, spells trouble not just regionally, but potentially globally.
Islands, Islands, Everywhere
The possibility of an Iranian crisis remains in the spotlight because of the obvious risk of disorder in the Greater Middle East and its threat to global oil production and shipping. A crisis in the East or South China Seas (essentially, western extensions of the Pacific Ocean) would, however, pose a greater peril because of the possibility of a U.S.-China military confrontation and the threat to Asian economic stability. .................(more)
The complete piece is at: http://www.tomdispatch.com/post/175640/tomgram%3A_michael_klare%2C_the_next_war/#more
Powder Keg in the Pacific
from TomDispatch:
Powder Keg in the Pacific
Will China-Japan-U.S. Tensions in the Pacific Ignite a Conflict and Sink the Global Economy?
By Michael T. Klare
Don’t look now, but conditions are deteriorating in the western Pacific. Things are turning ugly, with consequences that could prove deadly and spell catastrophe for the global economy.
In Washington, it is widely assumed that a showdown with Iran over its nuclear ambitions will be the first major crisis to engulf the next secretary of defense -- whether it be former Senator Chuck Hagel, as President Obama desires, or someone else if he fails to win Senate confirmation. With few signs of an imminent breakthrough in talks aimed at peacefully resolving the Iranian nuclear issue, many analysts believe that military action -- if not by Israel, than by the United States -- could be on this year’s agenda.
Lurking just behind the Iranian imbroglio, however, is a potential crisis of far greater magnitude, and potentially far more imminent than most of us imagine. China’s determination to assert control over disputed islands in the potentially energy-rich waters of the East and South China Seas, in the face of stiffening resistance from Japan and the Philippines along with greater regional assertiveness by the United States, spells trouble not just regionally, but potentially globally.
Islands, Islands, Everywhere
The possibility of an Iranian crisis remains in the spotlight because of the obvious risk of disorder in the Greater Middle East and its threat to global oil production and shipping. A crisis in the East or South China Seas (essentially, western extensions of the Pacific Ocean) would, however, pose a greater peril because of the possibility of a U.S.-China military confrontation and the threat to Asian economic stability. .................(more)
The complete piece is at: http://www.tomdispatch.com/post/175640/tomgram%3A_michael_klare%2C_the_next_war/#more
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