Wednesday 31 October 2012

Hurricane Sandy's Caribbean trip — devastation in Haiti and Cuba

As the world concentrates on the latest devastation in the US, Sandy has already done some serious damage to other countries, including Haiti and Cuba. Sandy took the lives of 54 people in Haiti and 11 in Cuba. 
 
While in the Caribbean area, Hurricane Sandy also killed two people in the Bahamas, two in the Dominican Republic, one in Jamaica and one in Puerto Rico. Total death toll in the Caribbean is 71, with tens of thousands made homeless and little money available to rebuild.. read full article and watch videos.



Occupy Sandy Relief NYC: OWS helps victims of the superstorm

In the wake of devastation by Superstorm Sandy, OWS is getting involved, using its grassroots strength to help those affected and to organize relief efforts. 

As stated on their home page, "Occupy Wall Street & 350.org have teamed up with Recovers.org – a people-powered disaster relief platform – to help coordinate response to Hurricane Sandy in NYC." 

With around 750,000 New Yorkers without power, large areas of New York City remain under water and at least 18 people have been killed. The OWS volunteers started in the Lower East side and have been moving through New York's five boroughs with members of international environmental organization 350.org and recovers.org, a disaster aid group. 

OWS is using the social media to coordinate its efforts, with the help of local churches and city agencies. Anyone wishing to get involved should tweet using the hashtag #SandyVolunteer. If you need help, tweet using the hashtag #SandyAid. 

There is also a Facebook page to help coordinate efforts as well as a Twitter page. Volunteers are also out on the streets, giving aid where possible and finding those in need, and passing the information on to Recovers.org. 

OWS is calling for people with "experience in or tools for medical and psychological services, electrician work, plumbing, construction, financial or legal services, debris and tree removal, childcare, transportation, senior services or language skills," who can sign up at one of three sites in the Red Hook in Brooklyn, Astoria in Queens and in the Lower East Side in Manhattan.  

A pay portal has been set up for anyone wishing to make financial donations in the recovery efforts. Also drop off points have been established throughout Brooklyn, where people can donate food, water, flashlights, batteries, candles and other necessities.  

Drop off points are as follows:  

Red Hook - Red Hook Initiative, 767 Hicks St  
Park Slope - Residence, 258 15th St, apt #2  
Sunset Park - St. Jacobi Church, 5406 4th Ave  
Williamsburg - Residence, 75 Powers St. #2, 11211  
Bedstuy - Residence, 136 Jefferson Ave, apt 2 11216  
Harlem - Residence, 47 Saint Nicholas Avenue #4d, btw 112 and 113 

In other response news, Mayor Michael Bloomberg's office has suggested the NYC Service be employed, which is a government initiative coordinating volunteer efforts on a year-round basis. 

Bloomberg wrote on Twitter, "We've seen an enormous outpouring of support from people who want to volunteer & contribute." Volunteers will be notified once opportunities become available. 

Bloomberg also praised New York City's first responders, for their "heroic efforts to protect New Yorkers" during the storm. "I can’t say enough about the extraordinary work of our first responders at the FDNY and NYPD, EMS, hospital workers, and more," he said. 

In his speech, Bloomberg says that it will take some time to get things back "on the path to recovery." He admits it could take up to five days to have the city's transportation system running again. He also quoted Governor Andrew Cuomo as saying, "It was as bad as anything I have experienced in New York." 

The American Red Cross is coordinating blood donations, collecting financial donations and seeking volunteers to staff its shelters. The Daily Mail has several striking photographs of the devastation in the city.

Read more and watch videos: http://www.digitaljournal.com/article/335860#ixzz2ArshU52o

Tuesday 30 October 2012

Despite latest poll 'Yes on 37' is in it to win labeling of GMOs

While the latest Pepperdine poll taken between October 21 and 28 shows the opposition at 50.5% and support for Prop 37 at 39.1%, the new round of positive advertising will make the change. 


Stacy Malkan, spokesperson for the Yes on 37 campaign said, “The Pepperdine poll was taken after three weeks of deceptive opposition ads that went unanswered and before the Yes on 37 message got on the air. The world’s largest pesticide and junk food companies have been spending a million dollars a day carpet bombing California with lies to confuse voters about a simple labeling law."

"Now our ads are up and many voters are hearing our message for the first time – that Prop 37 is a simple labeling law that gives us the right to know what’s in our food, at no cost to consumers.” 

“On the Yes side, support is rushing in from all sides. We have a strong ground game with 10,000 volunteers out on the streets, we have a powerful ad, money is coming in the door and we have one of the most successful online organizing campaigns ever seen. We expect these will have a big effect during the last week in the campaign,” she continued. 

“We are in this to win, and the pesticide and junk food companies opposing this measure are worried we will win, as evidenced by their recent infusion of $8 million more into the opposition campaign in the last 10 days," Malkan said.
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Total contributions to the "No on 37" campaign are now at $44.2 after Dupont contributed another $500,000 on October 29. On the "Yes" side of the scale, the supporting campaign has raised $7.4 million. 
 
 Malkan said, “We have always been the underdog in this story, but we believe that when voters go to the polls next week they will value their right to know what’s in their food and vote Yes on Proposition 37.” For more information visit: www.carighttoknow.org.

Read more: http://www.digitaljournal.com/article/335833#ixzz2Ap02cSHe




Alert as 26 nuclear plants in Hurricane Sandy's path (video)

The projected path of Hurricane Sandy could impact as many as 26 nuclear plants. Arnie Gundersen, the chief engineer of energy consulting company Fairewinds Associates, warns of the dangers.
 
As the Frankenstorm hits the east coast, leaving millions without power, Gundersen warns that even if engineers at plants from North Carolina to New England say their plants have been shut down and are safe from disaster, this could already be too late... read full article and watch video of the interview.

Monday 29 October 2012

Transhumance — 2,000 sheep stop traffic in Madrid, Spain


The streets of Madrid saw an entirely different protest on Sunday, as thousands of sheep and other farm animals blocked traffic in the annual "trashumancia", or transhumance event. 

While over the weekend, tens of thousands of people were out on the streets of Madrid, protesting against austerity measures and demanding the resignation of the Spanish government, and even the police were having a demonstration of their own, another more traditional protest happened on Sunday. 

The annual transhumance event was held, where more than 2,000 sheep and other farm stock were led through the center of the city to defend ancient grazing, droving and migration rights. This colorful event has been running every year since 1994 and is basically to defend the right to use ancient droving routes, which used to crisscross the fields and woodland, where the sprawling city of Madrid now stands. 

These routes have been in existence since around 1273, and the shepherds, following an age-old tradition, have to pay 25 maravedis (a type of coin first minted in the 11th century) to the city hall to use the crossing. Once this is paid, they can then take their flock through the city streets with no hindrance. As a tradition, shepherds in Spain have the right to use 78,000 miles (125,000 kilometers) of paths throughout the countryside for seasonal livestock migrations, from the cool mountain pastures in summer, down to the warmer lowland grazing in the winter. 

This migration is called transhumance, or trashumancia in Spanish, and the Ministry of Agriculture has been promoting the annual fiesta since 1994.

El Nuevo Herald interviewed Jorge Jiménez, aged 25, who was walking with a donkey. ''We have been walking, we arrived yesterday afternoon from Hoyos del Espino", which is more than 150 km to the West of Madrid. "This is something beautiful, because it is a tradition of the Spanish people and serves to remind that we were migrating." 

Jiménez is computer science student originally from a livestock family. 

Manuela Pozuelo, 45, was watching the parade with her 18-year-old son and daughter of 11. "I think it is a very good idea, because it is something which you are not used to here in Madrid, especially people who do not have a habit of leaving the city to go to the villages," Pozuelo said. 

Spaniards are proud of their ancient sheep-rearing traditions. The native Marino breed is highly thought of and has been exported to South America and Australia, where they are renowned in the local wool industries.

Watch a video of the transhumance event when it was held in Madrid on October 30, 2011 by following the link below..

Read more: http://www.digitaljournal.com/article/335714#ixzz2AgDIcBdp

Sunday 28 October 2012

Tens of thousands march in the streets of Madrid, Spain

Angered by the latest austerity measures and budget cuts, and calling for the Spanish government to resign, thousands thronged the streets of Madrid on Saturday.

Tens of thousands of Spaniards marched on Spain's parliament in Madrid on Saturday evening, accompanied by a massive police escort, and closely guarded by officers with dog teams and in full riot gear and many police vans. The march, which was 2.3 kilometers long, was organized by the "Surround Parliament" protest group, as part of the ongoing anti-austerity protests in the country. On arrival at the parliament building, the protesters were met by an even bigger police presence, which pushed them back, using a chain of metal barricades.

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As tens of thousands of jobs were lost in the third quarter of 2012, with a bank bailout a strong possibility, demonstrators have had enough. 
 
70-year-old Alan Pipo told the AP, “And now they are going to give banks a bailout, rescue them as if they were princesses." 
 
"They should be put out on the streets, just like all those families who are being evicted from their homes because they are unable to keep up with mortgage payments!" he added. 
 
Paloma Martinez, 62, said, We can't go on like this. We have a right to a public health system and quality schools for our kids. We are indignant and have no fear." 
 
At one stage, the protesters held a minute's silence, with their backs turned on parliament, showing their condemnation of the Spanish's government's policies which have caused a quarter of the Spanish people to become unemployed. They then shouted "resign" with their fists clenched. 
 
Part of the crowd also protested in front of Bankia bank, where a group has been camping out since Monday of this week, demanding a halt to the evictions that have so far affected 400,000 families in Spain

National police officers protest in Madrid  Spain  October 27  2012
As reported on Digital Journal, earlier in the day, almost 3,000 off-duty police officers also took to the streets to protest austerity measures and the fact that their Christmas bonuses are to be take away and carrying banners stating "Police officers can no longer take it." 
 
With 25% of the country unemployed, with a staggering 52.34% of the young unable to find work, Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy has hiked taxes, introduced harsh labor reforms and cut spending, as he tries to persuade investors that his government can manage the crisis without a full bailout. 
 
Spain's troubled banks have been granted a 100 billion euro ($130 billion) loan facility by the 17 eurozone countries. 
 
However, some researchers say that instead of cutting spending, it might be wiser to increase it. 
 
Jerome Roos, a searcher on the EU debt crisis at the European University Institute in Florence, and founder of ROAR Mag, told RT, “The alternative is actually not to cut spending, but to invest in the economy, to invest in growth to make sure that there are jobs. And the only way to ultimately get out of this debt, is to grow out of debt and not to cut your way of debt.”
 
“Clearly things can’t continue the way they are now. Spain would do very well to heed the lessons that were learned in the past decade from three other countries - Argentina, Ecuador and Iceland - each of which defaulted on part of its external debt.”

Read more: http://www.digitaljournal.com/article/335665#ixzz2AaQRGtiO

Video: California kids say 'Yes on 37' to label GMOs

 
A bunch of youngsters in California are concerned about the food that they are eating. While they can't personally vote on Prop 37, they are urging others to say yes to the ballot initiative to label GMOs.

You have to be 18-years-old to vote, but not to make a video. A group of kids got together and made the above video, which is doing the rounds on YouTube. 
 
The kids urge Californians to vote yes on Proposition 37, the ballot initiative to label genetically modified food products and products that contain genetically engineered ingredients.
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All they, and other proponents of Proposition 37, are asking, is for a simple label, telling them what is in their food. No extra cost to the consumer, just transparency. 
 
As they say in the video, the opposition to Proposition 37 does not consist of one single human being, just a bunch of the biggest pesticide and junk food companies. For more information, visit www.carighttoknow.org/

Read more: http://www.digitaljournal.com/article/335667#ixzz2AaPjuhTg

Saturday 27 October 2012

Now it's the cops' turn to protest in Madrid, Spain

Madrid - 3,000 off-duty national police officers rallied outside the Ministry of the Interior in Madrid on Saturday, protesting austerity measures and budget cuts, including the loss of their Christmas bonuses. 
 
The officers, wearing blue caps, some wrapped in Spanish flags, blocked the central Paseo de la Castellana Boulevard in Madrid, while their on-duty colleagues looked on. 
 
The protesters charged and threw fireworks into the air. One banner said "Police officers can no longer take it." One protester apparently required medical treatment, when a firework he intended to throw, went off in his hand.  
 
The demonstrators are members of the Confederación Española de Policía (CEP), the Unión Federal de Policía (UFP) and the Sindicato Profesional de Policía (SPP). 
 
As with all Spanish civil service workers, police are being hit by the country's attempt to get the debt crisis under control. Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy revealed a 2013 austerity budget earlier this month, as the country continues into its second recession in three years. As part of the latest cuts, starting January 1, police will lose three of the six days of supplementary holidays that they are allowed every year, in addition to their regular vacation, wage cuts when on sick leave, along with the loss of their Christmas bonus. 
 
Fran Estacio, a 33-year-old officer from Valencia, told AFP, "We came to express our anger at the way the government treats us, not only because they have removed Christmas bonuses, but also because they are eliminating our rights." 
 
Unemployment in Spain hit a record twenty-five per cent this week, which is the highest since the Franco dictatorship ended almost 40 years ago.

Read more: http://www.digitaljournal.com/article/335638#ixzz2AX5NDbXX

Kim Dotcom: 'ultimate file hosting solution' to be launched

While still fighting extradition to the US on copyright violation charges, Dotcom, founder of the notorious Megaupload, has announced the upcoming launch of "Mega", a new and improved, raid-proof file sharing service. 

The new service is planned to be launched on the one-year anniversary of Megaupload’s shutdown by the United States Department of Justice, on January 19, 2013. 

38-year-old Dotcom, formerly Kim Schmitz, currently resides in New Zealand. The US government has been attempting to extradite him since the raid on his premises at the beginning of this year. 

His previous project, Megaupload, regularly attracted 50 million users per day and enjoyed support from many major figures in the American music industry, and 15,600 US military members held accounts with the website

Digital Journal reported recently that Dotcom’s extradition hearing has been pushed back until March 2013, when a court will decide whether he is to be extradited to the U.S. to face various charges, including copyright infringement and money laundering. 

In the meantime, Dotcom has not been "resting on his laurels", so to speak, but has produced a brand new product. He announced via Twitter that the new service, Mega, will have security, bolstered by a so-called “doomsday launch button” which could cause Mega to self-destruct in the event of a raid. On his Twitter account is the following tweet:
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According to Wired, Mega will be encrypted with a key that Mega itself will not have access to, but it will give users and third-party application developers control of access to files on the service. 

Dotcom told Wired in a recent interview, “If servers are lost, if the government comes into a data center and rapes it, if someone hacks the server or steals it, it would give him nothing,” Dotcom explains. “Whatever is uploaded to the site, it is going to be remain closed and private without the key.” 
 
Gizmodo reports that basically, the idea is that the law cannot go after Mega, as it has no idea what is stored on its servers. According to Dotcom, the only way this could be illegal is if the law makes encryption illegal. 
 
Dotcom says that investors are already lined up to take part in the new venture, which he characterized as a “massive global network,” according to TorrentFreak. “All non-US hosters will be able to connect servers & bandwidth,” he said. 
 
He hopes that the new service will extend beyond file-sharing, to include email, video applications and a host of other functions. 
 
According to Dotcom, over 90% of the coding of Mega is now complete, and a team of lawyers, partners and investors are ready to launch the project. He wrote on Twitter that it took seven years of experience to tailor the "ultimate file hosting solution", and he compared the new service to a "poetry of logic."
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While the domain that will ultimately host the new Mega project has not yet been announced, it is unlikely to be a .com.

Read more: http://www.digitaljournal.com/article/335611

Friday 26 October 2012

Final third-party candidate debate to be broadcast live

It's down to Libertarian Party candidate, Governor Gary Johnson and Green Party's Jill Stein to debate live in the second and final third-party debate on October 30. 
 
Digital Journal reported on the first lively debate between the four third-party candidates, including a full video of the event. The event was watched by tens of thousands worldwide, as Larry King moderated the debate in Chicago. 
 
As the mainstream media and political establishment shun them, and concentrate only on US President Barack Obama and Mitt Romney, the top third-party candidates got a chance to air their views and present their platform to the country, shortly prior to the election on November 6. 
 
They spoke their minds on the topics Americans really care about in 2012, some of which have been ignored completely by the top-two candidates, including the war on terror, immigration, legalizing marijuana, higher education funding, and gay rights. 
 
A poll was taken on the Free and Equal Elections Foundation website as to which candidates should continue to the final debate, and the winners are Governor Gary Johnson of the Libertarian Party and Jill Stein of the Green Party. 
 
Christina Tobin, founder and chair of Free and Equal Elections, told RT, “The voters have spoken, and we are pleased to announce that Gary Johnson and Jill Stein will advance to the second debate." 
 
According to Gayle Falkenthal for Communities at the Washington Times, the final count was as follows:  
 
Gary Johnson: 26,187 first votes plus 1,962 runoff votes = 28,149 
Jill Stein: 15,013 first votes plus 292 runoff votes = 15,305
Rocky Anderson: 3,938 votes plus 444 runoff votes = 4,382 
Virgil Goode: 2,698 votes plus no runoff votes = 2,698 
 
Johnson and Stein will move on to the second debate from Washington, DC, this time answering questions dedicated solely to foreign policy. 
 
The debate will be hosted live from RT's Washington, DC studio on October 30 from 9:00 p.m. to 10:30 p.m. Eastern Time, (October 31, 1:00 a.m. – 2:30 a.m. GMT) and will be aired on RT America as well as RT.com and on RT’s YouTube channel. 
 
It will be also be broadcast live at www.freeandequal.org/live and other media outlets to be announced including, hopefully, C-SPAN.

Read more: http://www.digitaljournal.com/article/335542

Thursday 25 October 2012

Obama Supporters Actually Hate Obama's Policies


In a case of sheer irony, Luke Rudkowski of We Are Change got out on the streets in New York City, interviewing Obama supporters in a slightly underhanded way about the NDAA, the Patriot Act, Drone Wars and the "Kill List."

Pretending that Mitt Romney, should he be elected, is threatening to sign a bill called the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), is planning on extending the Patriot Act, saying he would instigate a "Kill List" and planning to use drones in foreign countries, Rudkowski of We Are Change interviews unsuspecting Obama supporters. 

Rudkowski states on the video page that he is not, in any way, supporting or endorsing Romney, but just used these methods to get an honest reaction and opinion from the people interviewed. After each interview, he told the people what he was up to, and the reactions are mixed, and very telling, to say the least. It seems Obama's supporters are unaware of the NDAA, know little about the Patriot Act, and had no idea there was such a thing as a "kill list" and how the US is using drones to kill people, including civilians.

Read more: http://www.digitaljournal.com/article/335520#ixzz2ALYXKmsd

Yes on Proposition 37 to Label Genetically Engineered Food. We Have the Right to Know.


Big agrochemical corporations have produced genetically engineered corn that includes insecticides.

Not on the corn. But in the corn.

A new study links genetically engineered corn to tumors and organ damage.

And the big agrochemical corporations also say Bt-toxins are safe for us to eat.

We shouldn't be forced to gamble with the health of our families.

We have the right to know what's in our food. Vote Yes on Proposition 37.

Join us at www.CArighttoknow.org - and please remember to vote on November 6!

Video: 'Trust us' — Vote yes on Proposition 37 to label GMOs

Some of your favorite stars have got together again, impersonating scientists at leading biotech firms and ironically telling you to trust them. But really, they want you to vote "Yes on 37" to label GMO foods.

"Trust Us" is an ironic public service announcement by Consumer Advocates for Safe Food and Water, sponsored by Food and Water Watch, in support of Proposition 37, California's ballot initiative to label genetically engineered foods.

UntitledWith a very diverse, all-star cast, including Danny DeVito, Emily Deschanel, Glenn Howerton, Kaitlin Olson, KaDee Strickland and Kristin Bauer van Straten, impersonating scientists at leading biotech firms speaking their "subconscious minds" about why the general public should just trust them and not fight for mandatory labeling of genetically engineered foods (GMOs).

To learn more about Proposition 37 and Food & Water Watch's campaign to make labeling of GMOs the law, and to help raise money to broadcast this public service announcement and others like it far and wide, visit www.voteyes37.org and www.carighttoknow.org/

Original source: http://www.digitaljournal.com/article/335476#ixzz2AIrofZuC

Ecuador 'gravely concerned' about health of Assange

Julian Assange has been holed up in the Ecuadorian embassy since June, has been granted political asylum by Ecuador, but the UK will not grant him safe passage to leave the country. Now his health is suffering.

After losing his appeal against extradition to Sweden for questioning on alleged sex-related charges, Assange entered the Ecuadorian embassy in London, seeking political asylum in that country. It was feared that should he be extradited to Sweden for questioning, he would then be sent on to the US on charges of espionage, over the release of sensitive diplomatic cables which have both angered and embarrassed the US government. 

Despite the fact that Ecuador granted asylum to Assange in August, the UK will not grant him safe passage to travel out of the country. UK officials would arrest Assange should he step outside the door. 

The Ecuadorian embassy in London is about the size of an apartment, and Assange has a small room to himself. His health is now suffering, possibly from confinement in such a small space. 

A senior Ecuadorian diplomat says that Assange's health is deteriorating, and that he should be given safe passage out of the country's London embassy should it decline further. Vice Foreign Minister, Marco Albuja Martinez told RT in an exclusive interview, “We have officially asked the UK for safe passage. But we are concerned that while UK authorities mull over the decision, Julian Assange’s health may break down completely.”  

News.com.au reports Martinez as saying, “Assange has grown noticeably thinner and we are very concerned about his health,” Martinez said. “If he falls ill we will have to choose between two alternatives – to treat Assange at the embassy or hospitalize him.” 

The news service also reports that Ecuador has requested a document from the UK Government, guaranteeing his safe passage to hospital and back to the embassy without arrest; but that no reply has yet been received. 

“We will not put pressure on them and will patiently await an answer,” Martinez said. 

However, a statement from the UK Foreign office reads, "Ecuador have not told us that Mr Assange is ill. However, were they to do so, we would consider the matter."  

While Martinez did not specify the medical problems involved, he did note that Assange had lost weight and said that denying him proper facilities for treatment would be “an issue of human rights.” 

Recent photos of Assange show that the 41-year-old is looking pale and gaunt, as with the image above of his recent speech to the UN General Assembly, and he has complained of a "racking cough." He does, however, exercise daily with a personal trainer, who is an ex-Special Forces soldier and fellow-whistleblower.

Read more: http://www.digitaljournal.com/article/335474

Wednesday 24 October 2012

Jill Stein: Americans are being thrown under the bus



Bringing America's foreign wars to a close, taking corporate cash out of politics and stopping indefinite detention. All election promises, but not ones you'll find in the manifestos of Barack Obama or Mitt Romney. 

There are other names on the ballot in the US presidential election, and RT helped them air their views by broadcasting an alternative live debate. RT talks to the presidential candidate from the Green Party - Jill Stein.

See the alternative, third-party debates here.

Psy introduces UN Secretary General to 'Gangnam Style' (video)

In a face-to-face meeting between Ban Ki-moon and Psy at the United Nations, the UN Secretary General joked that he felt overshadowed by the South Korean rapper.
 
"I'm a bit jealous. Until two days ago someone told me I am the most famous Korean in the world. Now I have to relinquish. I have no regrets," he told the press. 
 
In the video, watch the Secretary-General try out the dance moves made famous in the ‘Gangnam Style’ video, with a little help from Psy, South Korean rapper and reality TV star.. read more and watch video.

US election: The third-party candidate debates in full (video)

With a blackout from the mainstream media and the US political elite on the alternative candidates, most of the news these days is focused on the circus debates of Romney and Obama. Here is what the third-party candidates have to say on the issues.


Organized by the Free and Equal Elections Foundation with moderator, Christina Tobin, and hosted by multi-award winning broadcast journalist Larry King, candidates from the Constitution, Green, Justice and Libertarian parties sounded off on the issues facing American voters. 

 The audience was allowed to participate in the lively debates. Speaking to RT, Free and Equal Elections Foundation founder Christina Tobin said, "We’re going to shift the power back to the people, back to the origins of the Constitution, which doesn’t even mention parties or corporations." 

While the debate statements from the third-party candidates were diverse, as much as they disagreed, there was one point on which all candidates concurred, the general concept: that the Democratic and Republican parties represent corporate interests, not the average American. 

Despite having their platforms for the most part silenced by the two-party, ruling elite, the following candidates had their opportunity here to speak their minds: 

Green Party candidate Jill Stein:
Jill Ellen Stein (born May 14, 1950) is an American physician and internist. Stein was a candidate for Governor of Massachusetts in the 2002 and the 2010 gubernatorial elections and is a resident of Lexington, Massachusetts. She is a graduate of Harvard College (1973) and the Harvard Medical School (1979). She serves on the boards of Greater Boston Physicians for Social Responsibility and MassVoters for Fair Elections, and has been active with the Massachusetts Coalition for Healthy Communities. Among others, Jill Stein has been endorsed for 2012 President by linguist, author and activist Noam Chomsky and by Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist and war correspondent Chris Hedges.
Justice Party candidate Rocky Anderson:
Ross Carl "Rocky" Anderson (born September 9, 1951) served two terms as the 33rd mayor of Salt Lake City, Utah, between 2000 and 2008. He is the Executive Director of High Road for Human Rights. Prior to serving as Mayor, he practiced law for 21 years in Salt Lake City, during which time he was listed in Best Lawyers in America, was rated A-V (highest rating) by Martindale-Hubbell, served as Chair of the Utah State Bar Litigation Section[6] and was Editor-in-Chief of, and a contributor to, Voir Dire legal journal. As mayor, Anderson rose to nationwide prominence as a champion of several national and international causes, including climate protection, immigration reform, restorative criminal justice, LGBT rights, and an end to the "war on drugs".
Constitution Party candidate Virgil Goode:
Virgil Hamlin Goode, Jr., (born October 17, 1946) is an American politician who served as a member of the United States House of Representatives from 1997 to 2009. In 2000 he switched to the Republican Party. He represented the 5th congressional district of Virginia. He lost his seat in the 2008 election to Democrat Tom Perriello. Goode subsequently joined the Constitution Party and is the party's 2012 presidential nominee.
Libertarian Party candidate Gary Johnson:
Gary Earl Johnson (born January 1, 1953) is an American businessman, a former Governor of New Mexico, and the Libertarian Party nominee for President of the United States in the 2012 election. Johnson served as the 29th Governor of New Mexico from 1995 to 2003, as a member of the Republican Party, and is known for his low-tax libertarian views and his strong emphasis on personal health and fitness. While a student at the University of New Mexico in 1974, Johnson sustained himself financially by working as a door-to-door handyman. In 1976 he founded Big J Enterprises, which grew from this one-person venture to become one of New Mexico's largest construction companies. He entered politics for the first time by running for Governor of New Mexico in 1994 on a fiscally conservative, low-tax, anti-crime platform. Johnson won the Republican Party of New Mexico's gubernatorial nomination, and defeated incumbent Democratic governor Bruce King by 50% to 40%. He cut the 10% annual growth in the budget: in part, due to his use of the gubernatorial veto 200 times during his first six months in office, which gained him the nickname "Governor Veto". Johnson sought re-election in 1998, winning by 55% to 45%. In his second term, he concentrated on the issue of school voucher reforms, as well as campaigning for marijuana decriminalization and opposition to the War on Drugs.
Unfortunately organizers forgot to start with the opening statements, and Larry King apologizes, saying that opening statements were not mentioned in his notes. After the first question is asked of the candidates, the opening statements are then given. 
 
 The writer has decided to emphasize these opening statements, as these clearly show the standing of each third-party candidate and what they have to offer - for answers to the questions, readers will have to watch the debates in the video above.  
 
Opening statement by Green Party candidate, Jill Stein:
Jill Stein - Green Party
Video screen capture
Jill Stein - Green Party
"The American people are in crisis. We are losing our jobs, decent wages, our homes by the millions, affordable healthcare and higher education, the climate is in meltdown and our civil liberties are under attack." 
 
"The wealthy few are richer than ever, rolling in more dough than ever, and the political establishment is not only not making it better, they are actually making it worse, imposing austerity on everyday people, while they continue to squander trillions of dollars on wars for oil that we don't need, on Wall Street bailouts, and tax breaks for the very wealthy."
 
 "The American people are at the breaking point, and we need to turn that breaking point in this election into a tipping point, to take back our democracy, and the peaceful, just green future that we deserve. And we do that by standing up and making sure that everyday people have a voice in this election and a choice at the polls that is not bought and paid for by Wall Street and by advancing the critical solutions that the American people are clamoring for by large majorities. Our campaign is calling for a green new deal, to create 25 million jobs, end unemployment, jump-start the green economy, and that means putting a halt to climate change and making wars for oil obsolete." 
 
"We are calling for healthcare as a human right through Medicare for all and for bailing out the students not the banks and making public higher education free."  
 
Opening statement by Justice Party candidate, Rocky Anderson:
Rocky Anderson - Justice Party
Video screen capture
Rocky Anderson - Justice Party
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"We are at a pivotal moral point in our nation's history. We've all suffered through the sell-out of our government to Wall Street, young people are burdened with record, crushing tuition debt, millions of families have lost their homes, retirement accounts have been decimated, while Wall Street fat cats, who are buying our elections, have made out like bandits." 
 
"We've never had the disparity in income and wealth that we see between the very wealthy and all the rest of us, since the 1920's. Our poverty rate has never been so high since 1965. Child poverty and infant mortality rates in the United States are next to the worst in the industrialized world and among 50 nations, the United States has the worst rate of women dying in connection with pregnancy and childbirth. Under Obamacare there will be 30 million people without essential healthcare by the year 2022."
 
 "And during the Bush and the Obama years, our constitution has been shredded while the imperial presidency has expanded, with presidents who think they can unilaterally take us to war often, on a pack of lies. With presidents who think they have the authority to round anyone up, including US citizens, and imprison them up to the rest of their lives without charges, without trial, without legal representation and without the right of habeas corpus." 
 
 "And our elected officials are sound asleep, when the Pentagon is warning that climate change is a greater long term security risk to the United States than terrorism. So if you like the way things are going, vote Democratic or Republican, but if you want real change, vote your conscience, vote justice. Economic justice, social justice and environmental justice."  
 
Opening statement by Constitution Party candidate, Virgil Goode:
Virgil Goode - Constitution Party
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Virgil Goode - Constitution Party
 
 
"I want to say thanks to Jill, Gary and Rocky for being here ... but I want to name four positions on which I am very different from Barack Obama and Mitt Romney." 
 
"First, Obama and Romney both claim that they were and still are for a balanced budget. Reality - the Obama budget this year was 1 trillion in deficit. The Paul Ryan budget, which passed was 600 billion in deficit. I have the courage to submit a balanced budget if I am elected president, right after I am inaugurated."
 
 "Secondly, I am for jobs and America for American citizens first, and the only candidate that has called for a near complete moratorium on green card admissions to the United States until unemployment is under 5%. It makes no sense to bring in so many foreign workers when unemployment is so high in this country." 
 
"Third, we need to end Super Pacs, political action committees, that would be one of the best things that would open up our country for more democratic process, greater voice by the people and lastly, we need term limits. It's time to focus on doing the best job in Congress instead of the next election, and the next fundraiser." 
 
Opening statement by Libertarian Party candidate, Gary Johnson:
 
 
Gary Johnson - Libertarian Party
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Gary Johnson - Libertarian Party
"The country is in really deep trouble. We should not bomb Iran. We should end the war in Afghanistan tomorrow, bring the troops home tomorrow." "Marriage equality is a constitutionally guaranteed right on a par with civil rights in the 60's. Let's end the drug wars. Legalize marijuana now." 
 
"Let's repeal the Patriot Act. I would have never signed the National Defense Authorization Act allowing for you and I, as US citizens, to be arrested and detained without being charged. That's the reason we fought wars in this country."
 
 "I promise to submit a balanced budget to Congress in the year 2013, that is a 1.4 trillion dollar reduction in federal spending. If we don't do this now, we are going to find ourselves in a monetary collapse and a monetary collapse very simply is when the dollars we have in our pocket don't buy a thing, because of the accompanying inflation that goes along with borrowing and printing money to the tune of 43 cents out of every dollar we spend." 
 
 "I am the only candidate that wants to eliminate income tax, eliminate corporate tax, abolish the IRS, and replace all of that one federal consumption tax, the fair tax. I think it reboots the American economy, it's the answer to our exports, it's the answer to American jobs." 
 
All candidates start the debates by agreeing that the two-party system is just not working. 
 
Green Party candidate, Jill Stein says, "We are calling for getting money out of politics through public financing, we're calling for opening up the airwaves to all qualified candidates. We are calling for a Constitutional amendment to clarify that money is not speech, and that corporations are not people. To take back our constitutional rights." 
 
Justice Party candidate, Rocky Anderson, says "This top-two option would tell the duopoly, you go ahead, keep raising all your money, put your own candidates out there, you can even have two people from the same political party, and that means no choice for the voters."
 
Constitution Party candidate, Virgil Goode, says "I do not favor the top-two system, I agree with Jill when she said money is not speech that that the top-two system enhances those that have the most money. In my view its a hindrance to true democracy for grassroots Americans who don't want to be controlled by super Pacs and Pacs."
 
Libertarian Party candidate Gary Johnson, says, "As Governor of New Mexico, completely outside the political system, I've always been pro-choice regarding everything. So this top-two voting system, this should be something that gets ferreted out on a local level, this should be something that should be ferreted out at the state level, not the national level. There are only a couple of voices being heard here, and its Tweedle-Dee and its Tweedle-Dum." 
 
The debates continue with each candidate giving their individual views on the need for transparency in government, the NDAA, the war on drugs, US military intervention in the world, and the use of drones. Healthcare and the economic system are also discussed by the candidates in detail as they answer each question posed to them.
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After watching the debate, please take the time to rank the candidates in order of preference here.

Read more: http://www.digitaljournal.com/article/335404

Tuesday 23 October 2012

Malala recovering and in a stable condition in the UK

Malala Yousufzai, shot by the Taliban in Pakistan over her views on education for girls, is recovering from her ordeal, has regained consciousness and is in a stable condition in hospital in the UK.

15-year-old Malala Yousufzai has received worldwide attention for her efforts to promote the education of girls in Pakistan.

On October 9th, she was targeted by the Taliban while on her way home from school and shot in the head. 

The Taliban stopped the school bus in which she was traveling with her friends and the leader asked which girl was Malala Yousufzai, telling her to identify herself, otherwise all girls would be shot. At that stage they recognized Malala and shot her at point blank range. 

The bullet struck just above the back of her left eye, traveled down the side of her jaw, damaging her skull. It then went through her neck and lodged in the tissue above her shoulder blade. 

As reported on Digital Journal she was recently she was moved to the UK to ensure better hospital treatment for her grave wounds. Malala traveled in a medically induced coma to the UK last Monday. 

The good news is that she has since regained consciousness, although at present she cannot speak, and has stood for the first time since being shot by the Taliban. A photo of the recovering Malala can be viewed here

While the international community has responded to this tragedy with wonderful and significant donations to non-profit organizations that support education in Pakistan, Malala's family is struggling with the long-term rehabilitation costs and for her future education. 
 A team of people who have both personal and public ties to Malala and her family have now started a campaign to help fund both Malala's medical costs and also her future education. Anyone interested in assisting with this campaign can do so here.  

Read more and view video by The New York Times about Malala, produced in 2009: http://www.digitaljournal.com/article/335359

California Farmers Ask: "Why Hide What's In Our Food?"


California farmers John Richardson, Amanda Gray, and Gowan Lester agree that we have a right to know what's in the food we eat. Vote YES on Prop 37!

Click here for more information about Proposition 37 and GMO labeling.

Sunday 21 October 2012

Kids are not Lab Rats: Vote Yes on Prop 37


In a really cute video, kids tell us why it is important to vote Yes on Proposition 37, the initiative requiring genetically modified food to be labeled in California, USA.

Coming up in November this year, Californians will be voting on Proposition 37, which would require that all genetically engineered food be labeled. 
 
The opposition (Big Pesticide and major junk food companies) are pumping millions of dollars into a misleading and often fraudulent advertising campaign to debunk labeling and to confuse voters. 
 
35 million dollars goes a long way to protecting their bottom line. While the Yes on 37 campaign cannot match them in dollars, the grassroots organization can fight back with a big heart and a genuine need to know what we are eating. In case you don't know what genetically engineered or genetically modified (GE or GMO) foods are, the majority of processed foods in the supermarket contain these. The food has been genetically modified with DNA from other plants or animals, and also to produce its own built-in pesticides. 
 
The foods are untested, unlabeled and potentially unsafe for both your health and the environment.
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The Food and Drug Administration (FDA), does no independent safety testing on GMOs and only relies on information supplied by the biotechnology companies, who in turn, are merely thinking of their bottom line. 
 
A recent study in France showed that genetically modified corn caused tumors and organ failure in rats over a lifetime period. And yet, we have no idea of the long-term effects of the same GMOs on humans. 
 
 If you live in California, give yourself the chance to choose what you are eating and feeding to your children by taking the pledge to vote Yes on 37 or, if you live elsewhere, to support the initiative. 
 
 As the kids in the video say, they can't vote, but you are an adult, so please vote "Yes." 
 
 
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For more information visit www.carighttoknow.org where they say, "Prop 37 gives us the right to know if our food has been genetically engineered. It helps us make the right food choices for our families by putting a simple label on the groceries we buy and telling us if our food has been genetically engineered. Simple and clear labels. No cost to consumers. No loopholes - that's why a broad and diverse Coalition from the Sierra Club, to farmers, nurses, doctors and the Consumer Federation of America say YES to 37."

Read more: http://www.digitaljournal.com/article/335221