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Photo courtesy: White Wold Pack http://www.whitewolfpack.com/2016/09/standing-rock-protest-grows-with.html I attended a Catholic university, and during my time in college, I embarked on several school-sponsored retreats. While semi-religious, these days-long outings in the wilderness really more resembled self-help or mindfulness groups than zealous theological preaching sessions. In one very popular retreat, we broke into small subsets and discussed our fears, woes, past issues, and current predicaments. We shared our feelings, our meals, and our hearts. We opened up to people at whom we would have never batted an eye back on campus. It was all very kumbaya, with ample servings of respect, understanding, and helpfulness. Narcissism, competitiveness, back-stabbing, and ladder-climbing were left at the cabin door. Upon returning to school, our larger retreat cadre reassembled at a future date. I was asked to represent my smaller group and give a talk about what I gleaned

http://www.counterpunch.org/2016/10/21/all-solutions-are-inadequate-why-it-doesnt-matter-if-politicians-mention-climate-change/ I meant no harm. I most truly did not. But I had to grow bigger. So bigger I got. I biggered my factory. I biggered my roads. I biggered my wagons. I biggered the loads … I went right on biggering… selling more Thneeds And I biggered my money, which everyone needs. From The Lorax by Dr. Seuss Some ado has been made of the fact that the major presidential candidates have barely spoken about the environment . Hillary Clinton acknowledges that climate change is a real phenomenon and should be addressed. Donald Trump has said it was a hoax and a money-making industry . (Which begs the question: Why didn’t he get in on that huge business opportunity?). Of course, Trump equivocates, then denies his global warming denial. Truth is, he really couldn’t give a shit. It has no bearing on his pursuit of fame and fortune. But does it matter

Kristine Mattis interview  October 3, 2016: Two weeks ago, the police shooting of an African American man named Keith Lamont Scott in Charlotte enraged thousands of African Americans. The killing, believed to be driven by racist attitudes, triggered protests. Mattis tells the Tehran Times that “the protests that are going on in Charlotte, the ones that have occurred in numerous cities throughout the country following the murders of black people by police, the silent protests against the Star-Spangled Banner - these are all righteous, justified expressions of decades and decades of pent-up emotion, and they should be acknowledged.” Following is the transcription of the interview. Q: What's your view on the police shooting of the black man and the following protests in Charlotte? A: It is just another in a growing list of unwarranted antagonism, aggression, and violence against people of color in America. The unjust targeting and killing of African-Americans is not

From the Sacramento Coalition to Save Public Education: savesacramentopublicschools.org While the neoliberal war-monger and the fascist buffoon were duking it out on Long Island, further up the Hudson River in Hillary’s adopted hometown, an ongoing eruption was spewing concerning a pedophile teacher at Horace Greeley, the prestigious public high school in Chappaqua, New York. Christopher Schraufnage, a former drama teacher at the school, reached a plea deal with the town on charges of sexual abuse and endangering the welfare of a child. He is now facing federal criminal charges and civil suits from at least half a dozen victims of his criminal sexual exploitations. Understandably, the parents in town are out for blood. Consequently, many are determined to see the school superintendent, the school board members, and other administrators face repercussions for not preventing this horrendous abuse under their watch. Any mother or father can empathize with the bloodlust these C

For better or for worse, warranted or unwarranted, when I encounter certain terms, phrases, and misappropriations in an article, the irrational, impatient side of me wants to discard the piece altogether. Granted, I try to use my better judgment and gauge what I read on its analytic integrity and substance rather than on its style, so I try to push on despite my fastidious aggravation. Lord knows I make plenty of errors in my own writing. Nevertheless, here are a few examples of what irks me the most: Ubiquitous and Overused Words Surreal As long as people continually use the term surreal for every action and event, the term will be rendered meaningless. Wheelhouse No. Just No. Only narcissists need this word in their vocabulary. Pivot A pivot used to be something I did when I was a dancer and gymnast as a child. It is not something that everyone everywhere is doing now. Here are some alternatives for what you really mean: Switch Shift Change De

http://www.counterpunch.org/2016/06/03/toxic-curve-ball-why-outdated-assumptions-to-determine-safe-levels-of-toxicants-forfeit-the-game/ By now, a large number of consumers are aware of the hazards of the synthetic compound bisphenol-A (BPA). Effective May 11, 2016, under California state law Proposition 65, products containing BPA must possess a warning label indicating that exposure could result in female reproductive impairment. Independent research on the endocrine disrupting effects of the chemical, commonly used in plastic bottles, the lining of metal cans, and customer receipts, among other applications, has consistently demonstrated toxic effects at low dose exposures. Two recent robust studies from Denmark concur, finding deleterious effects in rats exposed to BPA at doses lower than those considered safe for human ingestion, yet not at several higher doses . Nevertheless, regulatory agencies such as the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the Europea

 http://www.counterpunch.org/2016/04/04/the-cult-of-the-professional-class/   We cannot solve our problems with the same thinking we used when we created them. Albert Einstein In a recent interview on BillMoyers.com about his book Listen Liberal , author Thomas Frank spoke of the professional class that rules the Democratic Party and the orthodoxy instilled in them by their Ivy League institutions . Indeed, every president since 1988 attended an Ivy League university. Not only does this perspective from the professional class cross party lines, their orthodox worldview extends far beyond politics. It is based on an ideology that has served elites well – (semi) free-market capitalism and continuous economic growth. It is an orthodoxy that values corporate interests and personal gain over public good. It permeates all fields of society and American culture. In their book Manufacturing Consent , Edward Herman and Noam Chomsky laid out the media propaganda model of jour