Update on County Rules

SUBHEAD: Rule changes will be the subject of this Wednesday's County Council Meeting in Nawiliwili Harbor.By Ken Taylor and Linda Harmon in Island Breath - Image above: Public participation in "Townhall Meeting" by Norman Rockwell. From (http://www.westboylston.com/Pages/WBoylstonMA_AdminBlog/I0272F677).We think these changes will make Kauai government more democratic and encourage public

Radioactivity in Seawater Soars

SUBHEAD: Radioactivity levels in ocean water soars near Fukushima Dai Ichi as U.S. rushes fresh water to nuclear site.By staff on 25 March 2011 on MSNBC -(http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/42280076/ns/world_news-asiapacific)Image above: Wrecked reactor buildings #3 and #4 at Fukushima Dai Ichi. From (http://liberalironist.wordpress.com/2011/03/17/meltdown-at-fukushima-i-nuclear-power-plant).Japan's

Rally for Labeling GMOs

SUBHEAD: Rally on Saturday, April 26th, 12 to 2 pm at Lihue Airport Entrance.By Linda Pascatore on 25 March 2011 for Island Breath -Image above: Right to know GMO contents. From (http://organicconsumers.org/monsanto/index.cfm).WHAT:Join our rally for labeling of GMO foodsWHEN:Saturday, April 26th, 12 to 2 pmWHERE:Corner at Entrance to Lihue AirportWHO:Sponsored by GMO Free Kauai, in conjunction

Momentum swings towards GMOs

SUBHEAD: Genetically modified crops get boost over organic crops with recent USDA rulings.Image above: Since 1998 Canadian farmer Percy Schmeiser has fought a David-and-Goliath battle against Monsanto after the biotech giant accused him of planting its Roundup ready canola seeds without its permission. Schmeiser, seen here with files from the legal action, argued the seeds he'd saved from the

Kauai Council Rule Changes

SUBHEAD: Consider the following Kauai County Council meeting rule changes.By Ken Taylor and Linda Harmon on 18 March 2011 - Image above: The seal of Kauai County hangs on the wall behinf Jay Furfaro as he chairs a County Council public meeting. From (http://thegardenisland.com/news/local/govt-and-politics/article_3769fc9a-04d2-11e0-b96d-001cc4c002e0.html).Consider the following Kauai County rule

NRC part of Nuclear Industry

SUBHEAD: The NRC's job has become protecting the industry instead of protecting the public.By Justin Elliot on 19 March 2011 for Salon.com - (http://www.salon.com/news/politics/war_room/index.html?story=%2Fpolitics%2Fwar_room%2F2011%2F03%2F19%2Fnrc_history_captive_agency)Image above: President Jimmy Carter visits Three Mile Island nuclear accident in 1979. From (http://www.wired.com/wiredscience/

Shock Doctrine American-Style

SUBHEAD: This is a frontal Assault on American democracy, a corporate coup d’etat.By Naomi Klein on 9 March 2011 in Democracy Now -(http://www.democracynow.org/2011/3/9/naomi_klein_on_anti_union_bills)Image above: Still frame of Naomi Klein on Democacy Now! from video below.As a wave of anti-union bills are introduced across the country following the wake of Wall Street financial crisis, many

Richard Heinberg Interview

SUBHEAD: Unless we create parallel economic structures there’s no way that we can get out from under the more repressive political aspects of the federal government.By Lindsay Curren on 1 March 2011 in Transition Voice -(http://transitionvoice.com/2011/03/interview-richard-heinberg)Image above: Detail of photo portrait of Richard Heinberg. From (http://www.lyceumagency.com/richard+heinberg.aspx)

Walker Wrong on Unions

SUBHEAD: Destroy the unions and underfund the public sector and then try to justify wide-scale privatization.By Tom Juravich on 28 February 2011 for Bloomberg News - (http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2011-02-28/u-s-recovery-might-need-public-sector-unions-commentary-by-tom-juravich.html)Image above: Wisconsin protesters against Gov. Walker's legislation. From (http://world-countries.net/archives/

Wisconsin's Tunisia Moment

SUBHEAD: At long last, resentment against the economic crisis is beginning to find its natural home, the financial elites and their Republican allies.By Robert Kuttner on 20 February 2011 for Huffington Post -(http://www.huffingtonpost.com/robert-kuttner/wisconsins-tunisia-moment_b_825738.html)Image above: Wisconsin protests continue. Many scheduled for tomorrow. From (http://

End of GMOs in wildlife refuges

SUBHEAD: Fish & Wildlife Service pulls GMO crops from wildlife refuges in the U.S. Northeast.By Rachel Cernanski on 17 February 2011 for4 TreeHugger - (http://www.treehugger.com/files/2011/01/fish-wildlife-service-pulls-gmo-crops-wildlife-refuges-us-northeast.php)Image above: GMO corn growing in wildlife refuge. From original article.As part of a lawsuit settlement, the U.S. Fish & Wildlife

An Offer You Can't Refuse

SUBHEAD: Musings on the county government rally against decriminalization of marijuana.By Andy Parx on 16 February 2011 for Parx Daily News -(http://parxnewsdaily.blogspot.com/2011/02/offer-you-cant-refuse.html)[Editor's Note: For background information, see "Kauai Officials to Rally against Pot Legislation" by Jessica Musicar on 15 February in The Garden Island - (http://thegardenisland.com/

Feds lay down for GMOs

SUBHEAD: Roundup Ready alfalfa was legalized without any restrictions on January 27 after nearly five years of legal battles.By Mike Ludwig on 15 February 2011 for TruthOut.org - (http://www.truth-out.org/feds-approve-monsanto-herbicide-resistant-crops67796)Image above: Illustration of fast food America by David Dees. From (http://www.sl-webs.com/deesillustration/artwork.asp?arrowphoto=29&cat=

Indigenous Communities vs Corporations

SUBHEAD: Indigenous communities fighting for land rights more than ever - governments & corporations fighting back.By Rachel Cernanski on 8 Februalry 2011 for TreeHugger -(http://www.treehugger.com/files/2011/02/report-indigenous-communities-fighting-for-land-rights-governments-fighting-back.php)Image above: Teacher and students laying out the community. From original article.A new report from

The Food Bomb

SUBHEAD: Our leaders are like deer transfixed by the lights of an onrushing truck—they’ve done precious little to avert catastrophe.By Barry Lando on 1 February 2011 in Truthdig - (http://www.truthdig.com/report/item/the_food_bomb_20110131/)Image above: Food market in Kaski, Nepal. From (http://californiaagriculture.ucanr.org/landingpage.cfm?article=ca.v063n04p199&fulltext=yes).On the face of it,

EPA looks the other way

SUBHEAD: EPA document shows it knowingly allowed use of pesticide that kills honey bees.By Ariel Schwartz on 7 January 2011 for Fast Company - (http://www.fastcompany.com/1708896/wiki-bee-leaks-epa-document-reveals-agency-knowingly-allowed-use-of-bee-toxic-pesticide)Image above: Beekeepers examining hive. From original article.The world honey bee population has plunged in recent years, worrying

Gutless Corporate Media

SUBHEAD: The Fourth Estate is now inhabited with fearful pundits and supplicants working for Big Business.By Ray McGovern on 14 October 2010 for AntiWar.com - (http://original.antiwar.com/mcgovern/2010/10/13/leakers-beware-the-corporate-media)[Editor's note: Even satire of corporatism requires ad revenue. Be warned this clip may be preceded with a message from the sponsor.]Video above: New live

Day of Reckoning

SUBHEAD: Here's that must-watch 60 Minutes segment on the finances of the states with Merideth Whiteny.By Joe Weisenthal on 20 December 2010 for Business Insider - (http://www.businessinsider.com/60-minutes-on-state-budgets-2010-12)Image above: Still frame of Meredith Whitney from video below.Here it is, what everyone will be talking about today. Says Meredith Whitney: This is the other big

2011 - A Brave New Dystopia

SUBHEAD: The era of amusement is being replaced by the era of repression.By Chris Hedges on 27 December 2010 in Truthdig - (http://www.truthdig.com/report/item/2011_a_brave_new_dystopia_20101227)Image above: Detail of Signet Books 1955 edition of George Orwell's "1984". From (http://blastr.com/2009/07/amazon-deletes-1984-from.php).The two greatest visions of a future dystopia were George Orwell’s

Media piles on to TSA problems

SUBHEAD: Nation's leading federal policy newspaper reports on calls for revamping of airport checkpoint system.By Anne Kornblut & Ashley Halsey on 17 December 2010 for Washington Post - (http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/12/16/AR2010121606216.html)Image above: TSA Crash. From (http://gizmodo.com/5696160/why-the-tsa-could-lead-us-to-public-rebellion-or-a-terrorist-attack).