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unhappycamper
unhappycamper's Journal
unhappycamper's Journal
December 14, 2013
Australia, like many other nations, has attempted to mandate tough labeling laws for tobacco products. But the industry is firing back and critics say the maneuvers are an assault on global public health.
Smoke the TPP: How Big Tobacco and "Free Trade" Deals Erode Public Health
- Jon Queally, staff writer
Published on Friday, December 13, 2013 by Common Dreams
As it turns out, once the general public learns that smoking tobacco can kill you with unusual predictability, most people respond by trying to quit the habit—sometimes successfully, sometimes not—or by never smoking in the first place.
~snip~
Additionally, as governments experienced the health cost savings that could be garnered as tobacco consumption rates fell, they began thinking of ways to assist the no-smoking trends.
As developed nations created more highly regulated systems for the control, advertisement, and sale of tobacco, the industry found itself focused on expanding its business in less-developed nations where education on the dangers of tobacco were less advanced and government restrictions were short of those found in the U.S., Canada, Europe, and other rich countries.
But, according to an in-depth analysis by the New York Times on Friday, as developing nations now try to increase their control over the deadly industry, the large tobacco corporations—citing international trade agreements and various treaties—are using their financial and legal muscle to intimidate governments from adopting those stricter regulatory steps.
Smoke the TPP: How Big Tobacco and "Free Trade" Deals Erode Public Health
http://www.commondreams.org/headline/2013/12/13-6Australia, like many other nations, has attempted to mandate tough labeling laws for tobacco products. But the industry is firing back and critics say the maneuvers are an assault on global public health.
Smoke the TPP: How Big Tobacco and "Free Trade" Deals Erode Public Health
- Jon Queally, staff writer
Published on Friday, December 13, 2013 by Common Dreams
As it turns out, once the general public learns that smoking tobacco can kill you with unusual predictability, most people respond by trying to quit the habit—sometimes successfully, sometimes not—or by never smoking in the first place.
~snip~
Additionally, as governments experienced the health cost savings that could be garnered as tobacco consumption rates fell, they began thinking of ways to assist the no-smoking trends.
As developed nations created more highly regulated systems for the control, advertisement, and sale of tobacco, the industry found itself focused on expanding its business in less-developed nations where education on the dangers of tobacco were less advanced and government restrictions were short of those found in the U.S., Canada, Europe, and other rich countries.
But, according to an in-depth analysis by the New York Times on Friday, as developing nations now try to increase their control over the deadly industry, the large tobacco corporations—citing international trade agreements and various treaties—are using their financial and legal muscle to intimidate governments from adopting those stricter regulatory steps.
December 14, 2013
In his annual state of the nation address on Thursday, Russian President Vladimir Putin spoke about the need to rein in corruption and called for technological progress. But he also hinted at the bigger problems that will plague his country in years to come.
Russia in Stagnation: Putin Speech Hints at Big Problems
Commentary By Uwe Klußmann
December 13, 2013 – 02:42 PM
Sometimes a sigh says more than words. On Thursday, Russian President Vladimir Putin held his annual state of the nation address in front of members of his government and both chambers of parliament, the State Duma and the Federal Council. And when, during his speech, he lamented that "very corrupt" officials were preventing local authorities from giving vacant community property to large families, he let out a quiet sigh.
Russia's head of state spoke about his country's apparatus of state like a teacher speaks about students whose poor grades threaten their graduation. It was also a throwback to May 2012, when he announced directives aimed at improving the country's administration -- none of which have been implemented.
Putin complained about "administrative barriers" for exporters, mentioned "grueling conversations" with the finance minister and asked civil servants to fulfill their duties "without excuses" and without "watering down" assignments.
Putin hinted at the dramatic effects of corruption by mentioning "rising ethnic tensions." He also warned about "corruptible employees of the law enforcement agencies building a shelter for the ethnic mafia."
Russia in Stagnation: Putin Speech Hints at Big Problems
http://www.spiegel.de/international/world/putin-speech-hints-at-big-problems-and-stagnation-in-russia-a-938761.htmlIn his annual state of the nation address on Thursday, Russian President Vladimir Putin spoke about the need to rein in corruption and called for technological progress. But he also hinted at the bigger problems that will plague his country in years to come.
Russia in Stagnation: Putin Speech Hints at Big Problems
Commentary By Uwe Klußmann
December 13, 2013 – 02:42 PM
Sometimes a sigh says more than words. On Thursday, Russian President Vladimir Putin held his annual state of the nation address in front of members of his government and both chambers of parliament, the State Duma and the Federal Council. And when, during his speech, he lamented that "very corrupt" officials were preventing local authorities from giving vacant community property to large families, he let out a quiet sigh.
Russia's head of state spoke about his country's apparatus of state like a teacher speaks about students whose poor grades threaten their graduation. It was also a throwback to May 2012, when he announced directives aimed at improving the country's administration -- none of which have been implemented.
Putin complained about "administrative barriers" for exporters, mentioned "grueling conversations" with the finance minister and asked civil servants to fulfill their duties "without excuses" and without "watering down" assignments.
Putin hinted at the dramatic effects of corruption by mentioning "rising ethnic tensions." He also warned about "corruptible employees of the law enforcement agencies building a shelter for the ethnic mafia."
December 14, 2013
The government of embattled Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych has signaled that an association agreement with the EU may now be signed after all. The reversal follows weeks of street protests in Kiev and mounting Western pressure.
Ukraine Protests: Kiev Makes U-Turn on EU Association Deal
December 13, 2013 – 05:03 PM
Three weeks into a power struggle that has seen an estimated 20,000 demonstrators camping out on Kiev's Independence Square in subzero temperatures, it seems as if closer ties between Ukraine and the European Union may be on the cards after all. On Thursday Ukrainian Deputy Prime Minister Serhiy Arbuzov announced his country would sign the free trade and association deal with the EU "soon," following talks with EU authorities. Arbuzov failed to give a specific deadline for signing the deal or to explain his government's change of heart.
In an interview Thursday evening with German television network ARD, opposition leader Vitali Klitschko reacted skeptically to the Ukrainian government's diplomatic offensive in Brussels. "Our president has promised to sign the agreement countless times over the past three years," Klitschko said, confirming his intention to stand for the presidency and stressing the need for reform. "We have to fight for our vision and our country," he told the network.
On Friday, Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych announced his intention to offer amnesty to those who had been detained during the recent mass anti-government protests and now face criminal charges.
"There should be an amnesty, in order to give guarantees that the process of confrontation will stop," he said in a statement on Friday.
Ukraine Protests: Kiev Makes U-Turn on EU Association Deal
http://www.spiegel.de/international/europe/ukraine-protests-kiev-makes-u-turn-on-eu-association-deal-a-938933.htmlThe government of embattled Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych has signaled that an association agreement with the EU may now be signed after all. The reversal follows weeks of street protests in Kiev and mounting Western pressure.
Ukraine Protests: Kiev Makes U-Turn on EU Association Deal
December 13, 2013 – 05:03 PM
Three weeks into a power struggle that has seen an estimated 20,000 demonstrators camping out on Kiev's Independence Square in subzero temperatures, it seems as if closer ties between Ukraine and the European Union may be on the cards after all. On Thursday Ukrainian Deputy Prime Minister Serhiy Arbuzov announced his country would sign the free trade and association deal with the EU "soon," following talks with EU authorities. Arbuzov failed to give a specific deadline for signing the deal or to explain his government's change of heart.
In an interview Thursday evening with German television network ARD, opposition leader Vitali Klitschko reacted skeptically to the Ukrainian government's diplomatic offensive in Brussels. "Our president has promised to sign the agreement countless times over the past three years," Klitschko said, confirming his intention to stand for the presidency and stressing the need for reform. "We have to fight for our vision and our country," he told the network.
On Friday, Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych announced his intention to offer amnesty to those who had been detained during the recent mass anti-government protests and now face criminal charges.
"There should be an amnesty, in order to give guarantees that the process of confrontation will stop," he said in a statement on Friday.
December 14, 2013
New York City and New Bern, North Carolina both face the same projected rise in sea levels, but while one is preparing for the worst, the other is doing nothing on principle. A glimpse into America's contradictory climate change planning.
A Tale of Two Cities: America's Bipolar Climate Future
By Marc Hujer and Samiha Shafy
December 13, 2013 – 05:24 PM
When Veronica White and Tom Thompson stand on the coastline of their respective cities, 680 kilometers (423 miles) apart, they gaze out at the same ocean, but see different things.
White, the commissioner of the New York City Department of Parks & Recreation, believes "we have to prepare the entire coastline for disasters, including storms and rising floodwaters." Thompson, a former city planner in New Bern, North Carolina -- an eight-hour drive to the south -- argues the opposite. "All this panic about the climate always amazes me, but people like to believe horror stories," he says.
Since 1900, the sea level in both cities has risen by about 30 centimeters (12 inches). According to calculations by a group of climatologists working for New York City, the sea level in that city could rise by more than three-quarters of a meter (2.5 feet) by 2050, and by one-and-a-half meters 30 years later. The group of experts warns that by the end of the century, average temperatures in New York could be as high as they are in North Carolina today.
According to the North Carolina Coastal Resources Commission (CRC), that state, like New York, will also see warmer temperatures by the end of the century, as well as a sea-level rise of more than one meter. But now the state government in North Carolina has muzzled the CRC with a new law that requires coastal communities to ignore its prognoses. The legislation states that the sea level off the North Carolina coast will not rise more quickly than it has in the last 100 years.
A Tale of Two Cities: America's Bipolar Climate Future
http://www.spiegel.de/international/world/contradictory-climate-change-planning-in-new-york-city-and-new-bern-a-938704.htmlNew York City and New Bern, North Carolina both face the same projected rise in sea levels, but while one is preparing for the worst, the other is doing nothing on principle. A glimpse into America's contradictory climate change planning.
A Tale of Two Cities: America's Bipolar Climate Future
By Marc Hujer and Samiha Shafy
December 13, 2013 – 05:24 PM
When Veronica White and Tom Thompson stand on the coastline of their respective cities, 680 kilometers (423 miles) apart, they gaze out at the same ocean, but see different things.
White, the commissioner of the New York City Department of Parks & Recreation, believes "we have to prepare the entire coastline for disasters, including storms and rising floodwaters." Thompson, a former city planner in New Bern, North Carolina -- an eight-hour drive to the south -- argues the opposite. "All this panic about the climate always amazes me, but people like to believe horror stories," he says.
Since 1900, the sea level in both cities has risen by about 30 centimeters (12 inches). According to calculations by a group of climatologists working for New York City, the sea level in that city could rise by more than three-quarters of a meter (2.5 feet) by 2050, and by one-and-a-half meters 30 years later. The group of experts warns that by the end of the century, average temperatures in New York could be as high as they are in North Carolina today.
According to the North Carolina Coastal Resources Commission (CRC), that state, like New York, will also see warmer temperatures by the end of the century, as well as a sea-level rise of more than one meter. But now the state government in North Carolina has muzzled the CRC with a new law that requires coastal communities to ignore its prognoses. The legislation states that the sea level off the North Carolina coast will not rise more quickly than it has in the last 100 years.
December 14, 2013
Syrian Refugees’ Misery deepened by Snow Storm as Europe Shuts Doors
By csstester | Dec. 14, 2013
World Bulletin writes:
Syrian Refugees’ Misery deepened by Snow Storm as Europe Shuts Doors
http://www.juancole.com/2013/12/refugees-misery-deepened.htmlSyrian Refugees’ Misery deepened by Snow Storm as Europe Shuts Doors
By csstester | Dec. 14, 2013
World Bulletin writes:
“… the worst of winter is yet to come for 2.2 million refugees living outside Syria and millions more displaced inside the country.
A storm named Alexa is sweeping across Syria and Lebanon, bringing with it high winds and freezing temperatures – and marking the beginning of the third winter since the Syrian conflict began in March 2011…
Men filled bags with dirt to hold down tents and placed car tires and bricks atop the flimsy wooden structures to prevent the wind from tearing them apart.
In Lebanon, more that 835,000 refugees live in tented camps, unused buildings or with friends or family. The Lebanese government has decided not to house them in formal camps due to local sensitivities that they will stay permanently.
December 14, 2013
NSA will continue to be headed by a ‘dual-hatted’ military officer
By Agence France-Presse
Friday, December 13, 2013 13:11 EST
The White House has decided to maintain the “dual-hatted” arrangement which sees a single military officer head the National Security Agency eavesdropping service and US cyber warfare operations, an official said Friday.
The move comes as the administration finalizes a review ordered by President Barack Obama into the NSA’s sweeping worldwide data and phone record collection, following revelations by fugitive intelligence contractor Edward Snowden.
Some critics of the current system had argued that the NSA and the military’s cyber warfare command should be headed by different officials to avoid too much clandestine power residing in one official.
But National Security Council spokeswoman Caitlin Hayden said that after an interagency review, the administration “decided that keeping the positions of NSA Director and Cyber Command Commander together as one, dual-hatted position is the most effective approach to accomplishing both agencies’ missions.”
NSA will continue to be headed by a ‘dual-hatted’ military officer
http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2013/12/13/nsa-will-continue-to-be-headed-by-a-dual-hatted-military-officer/NSA will continue to be headed by a ‘dual-hatted’ military officer
By Agence France-Presse
Friday, December 13, 2013 13:11 EST
The White House has decided to maintain the “dual-hatted” arrangement which sees a single military officer head the National Security Agency eavesdropping service and US cyber warfare operations, an official said Friday.
The move comes as the administration finalizes a review ordered by President Barack Obama into the NSA’s sweeping worldwide data and phone record collection, following revelations by fugitive intelligence contractor Edward Snowden.
Some critics of the current system had argued that the NSA and the military’s cyber warfare command should be headed by different officials to avoid too much clandestine power residing in one official.
But National Security Council spokeswoman Caitlin Hayden said that after an interagency review, the administration “decided that keeping the positions of NSA Director and Cyber Command Commander together as one, dual-hatted position is the most effective approach to accomplishing both agencies’ missions.”
December 14, 2013
NSA official floats possibility of striking a deal with Edward Snowden
By Agence France-Presse
Friday, December 13, 2013 18:30 EST
A National Security Agency official said in an interview released Friday that he would be open to cutting an amnesty deal with intelligence leaker Edward Snowden if he agreed to stop divulging secret documents.
Rick Ledgett, who heads the NSA’s task force investigating the damage from the Snowden leaks, told CBS television’s “60 Minutes” program that some but not all of his colleagues share his view.
“My personal view is, yes, it’s worth having a conversation about” a possible deal, said Ledgett, according to excerpts of the interview due to air Sunday.
But Snowden would have to provide firm assurances that the remaining documents would be secured.
NSA official floats possibility of striking a deal with Edward Snowden
http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2013/12/13/nsa-official-floats-possibility-of-striking-a-deal-with-edward-snowden/NSA official floats possibility of striking a deal with Edward Snowden
By Agence France-Presse
Friday, December 13, 2013 18:30 EST
A National Security Agency official said in an interview released Friday that he would be open to cutting an amnesty deal with intelligence leaker Edward Snowden if he agreed to stop divulging secret documents.
Rick Ledgett, who heads the NSA’s task force investigating the damage from the Snowden leaks, told CBS television’s “60 Minutes” program that some but not all of his colleagues share his view.
“My personal view is, yes, it’s worth having a conversation about” a possible deal, said Ledgett, according to excerpts of the interview due to air Sunday.
But Snowden would have to provide firm assurances that the remaining documents would be secured.
December 13, 2013
Defense Department Announces up to $5 Billion in Jet Fuel Contracts
By Jared Anderson
on December 12, 2013 at 4:00 PM
The US Defense Logistics Agency yesterday announced a slew of major contracts for the purchase of jet fuel. The contracts are valid through April 30th 2015 and the money will come from fiscal 2014 defense working capital funds.
Fifteen different companies – ranging from the world’s largest international oil companies including supermajors ExxonMobil and Shell to firms DOD considers small businesses – won the fuel contracts on the basis of competitive bids. Royal Dutch Shell subsidiary Shell Oil Products won the lion’s share of the awards totaling over $1.6 billion.
The fuel supply agreements were granted on an “indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity” basis, meaning DOD agrees to purchase jet fuel from each company for up to the individually settled totals, which collectively add up to over $5 billion.
The fact that the Pentagon plans to spend billions on jet fuel next year is not, in and of itself important, but indicates the strategic value energy plays in US military operations. And this is just aviation fuel, the military also requires billions of dollars’ worth of diesel, gasoline, electricity, etc.
Defense Department Announces up to $5 Billion in Jet Fuel Contracts
http://breakingenergy.com/2013/12/12/defense-department-announces-up-to-5-billion-in-jet-fuel-contracts/Defense Department Announces up to $5 Billion in Jet Fuel Contracts
By Jared Anderson
on December 12, 2013 at 4:00 PM
The US Defense Logistics Agency yesterday announced a slew of major contracts for the purchase of jet fuel. The contracts are valid through April 30th 2015 and the money will come from fiscal 2014 defense working capital funds.
Fifteen different companies – ranging from the world’s largest international oil companies including supermajors ExxonMobil and Shell to firms DOD considers small businesses – won the fuel contracts on the basis of competitive bids. Royal Dutch Shell subsidiary Shell Oil Products won the lion’s share of the awards totaling over $1.6 billion.
The fuel supply agreements were granted on an “indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity” basis, meaning DOD agrees to purchase jet fuel from each company for up to the individually settled totals, which collectively add up to over $5 billion.
The fact that the Pentagon plans to spend billions on jet fuel next year is not, in and of itself important, but indicates the strategic value energy plays in US military operations. And this is just aviation fuel, the military also requires billions of dollars’ worth of diesel, gasoline, electricity, etc.
December 13, 2013
Rep. Forbes: Make China Bleed $$$; Budget Deal Stops ‘Hemorrhaging’
By Sydney J. Freedberg Jr. on December 12, 2013 at 1:35 PM
WASHINGTON: Why don’t we make the bad guys bleed money for a change? That’s the strategic insight that helped us win the Cold War, and it seems especially timely today as the nation wobbles back – we hope – from the brink of yet another budget crisis.
Delayed by vote calls and overshadowed by the news that House and Senate negotiators had finally reached a budget agreement — one that might actually stabilize the situation for two years — House seapower subcommittee chairman Randy Forbes went ahead with a hearing late yesterday on China’s growing naval power. The four experts on the panel couldn’t articulate a coherent strategy for the West Pacific, Forbes told me after the hearing, but they agreed on one big thing:
“All four of those witnesses [said] we need to be sure we go back to competitive strategies,” Forbes told me. What does that mean? “Causing our potential competitors to spend money, and not in the areas they want.”
That’s what the US did to the Soviets when it developed stealth aircraft that forced Moscow to question its massive investment in anti-aircraft systems. Ronald Reagan’s “Star Wars” initiative likewise threatened to neutralize the Soviet missile arsenal, forcing them to scramble for expensive countermeasures, even though we never managed to build it. The influential Center for Strategy and Budgetary Assessments calls these “cost-imposing strategies,” where every dollar you spend in the arms race makes the other side spend two dollars or more.
Rep. Forbes: Make China Bleed $$$; Budget Deal Stops ‘Hemorrhaging’
http://breakingdefense.com/2013/12/rep-forbes-make-china-bleed-budget-deal-stops-hemorrhaging/Rep. Forbes: Make China Bleed $$$; Budget Deal Stops ‘Hemorrhaging’
By Sydney J. Freedberg Jr. on December 12, 2013 at 1:35 PM
WASHINGTON: Why don’t we make the bad guys bleed money for a change? That’s the strategic insight that helped us win the Cold War, and it seems especially timely today as the nation wobbles back – we hope – from the brink of yet another budget crisis.
Delayed by vote calls and overshadowed by the news that House and Senate negotiators had finally reached a budget agreement — one that might actually stabilize the situation for two years — House seapower subcommittee chairman Randy Forbes went ahead with a hearing late yesterday on China’s growing naval power. The four experts on the panel couldn’t articulate a coherent strategy for the West Pacific, Forbes told me after the hearing, but they agreed on one big thing:
“All four of those witnesses [said] we need to be sure we go back to competitive strategies,” Forbes told me. What does that mean? “Causing our potential competitors to spend money, and not in the areas they want.”
That’s what the US did to the Soviets when it developed stealth aircraft that forced Moscow to question its massive investment in anti-aircraft systems. Ronald Reagan’s “Star Wars” initiative likewise threatened to neutralize the Soviet missile arsenal, forcing them to scramble for expensive countermeasures, even though we never managed to build it. The influential Center for Strategy and Budgetary Assessments calls these “cost-imposing strategies,” where every dollar you spend in the arms race makes the other side spend two dollars or more.
December 13, 2013
Social Justice Groups Demand Congress Slash Military Budget, Spend Money on People, Peace, Planet
Thursday, 12 December 2013 12:54
By Anne Meador, DC Media Group | News Analysis
In spite of heavy, wet snow falling on Capitol Hill, a coalition of peace, anti-hunger, anti-poverty, environmental and community groups came together to voice its objections to what it calls “runaway, dangerous military spending.”
In a press conference in the Cannon Office Building, speakers called on the Congressional Budgetary Committee to pass a budget resolution that re-directs military spending to domestic needs that serve “people, peace and the planet.” They then presented their proposed budget and supporting petitions to staffers of Rep. Paul Ryan (R-WI), Co-Chair of the Budgetary Committee.
After a stand-off on the budget resulting in a government shutdown in October, the Committee has until December 13 to re-negotiate some of the automatic sequestration cuts coming up next year. As it is, the Pentagon budget is due for about a 10% reduction, or $52 billion. Jill Stein of the Green Party’s Shadow Cabinet said that’s not nearly enough.
“We cannot both feed the hungry and feed our children, feed our elders, feed us and fill this absolutely bottomless pit of the military machine,” she said.
Social Justice Groups Demand Congress Slash Military Budget, Spend Money on People, Peace, Planet
http://www.truth-out.org/news/item/20598-social-justice-groups-demand-congress-slash-military-budget-spend-money-on-people-peace-planetSocial Justice Groups Demand Congress Slash Military Budget, Spend Money on People, Peace, Planet
Thursday, 12 December 2013 12:54
By Anne Meador, DC Media Group | News Analysis
In spite of heavy, wet snow falling on Capitol Hill, a coalition of peace, anti-hunger, anti-poverty, environmental and community groups came together to voice its objections to what it calls “runaway, dangerous military spending.”
In a press conference in the Cannon Office Building, speakers called on the Congressional Budgetary Committee to pass a budget resolution that re-directs military spending to domestic needs that serve “people, peace and the planet.” They then presented their proposed budget and supporting petitions to staffers of Rep. Paul Ryan (R-WI), Co-Chair of the Budgetary Committee.
After a stand-off on the budget resulting in a government shutdown in October, the Committee has until December 13 to re-negotiate some of the automatic sequestration cuts coming up next year. As it is, the Pentagon budget is due for about a 10% reduction, or $52 billion. Jill Stein of the Green Party’s Shadow Cabinet said that’s not nearly enough.
“We cannot both feed the hungry and feed our children, feed our elders, feed us and fill this absolutely bottomless pit of the military machine,” she said.
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