New Stories // Current

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1 minute ago

Artists captures the border violence in pinata sculptures

El Paso artist, Abel Saucedo, created 4 pinatas to represent the violence on the border between Juarez and El Paso. Some people... more

msaldate
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14 minutes ago

The Price they Paid for Freedom - TANSTAAFL

TANSTAAFL is an acronym that means "There ain't no such thing as a free lunch." Or in other words "Freedom isn't free, it requires a price to be paid." The acronym is taken from a science fiction book entitled "The Moon is a Harsh Mistress" written by a patriot named Robert Anson Heinlein.

I mention this because it is the essence of the message that is conveyed in an email that has been circulating on the internet due to the recent 4th of July holiday. It is a reminder that many sacrifices were made by our Founding Fathers through the Declaration of Independence and the subsequent Revolutionary War.

It is also timely because our country, our republic has been demonstrating signs of being very sick and on the verge of collapse because we as a people have lost sight of our common good. We have been manipulated by the money masters to turn on each other and ascribe to the mentality of "dog eat dog". I realize this is a generality, there are indeed many people who are not of this mentality, but I am speaking in terms of the overall systemic condition. This "dog eat dog" mentality is the mainstay of most Capitalist undertakings, as they are only beholden to their stockholders.

However, I would argue that they do have a responsibility to each and every citizen of the United States, because we are unrecognized stockholders in the future of our nation and those that benefit from its capitalist free market economy. Perhaps America should be a stockholder in every single Corporation because of the privilege they, the corporations, enjoy through their "Artificial Person" status as was decreed by Nobel Prize winning Economist, Milton Friedman (a prophet and demigod of the Neo Capitalist).

The message that is circulating is copied here below:

What do you think? Is the country ripe for a new revolution? Do people care about the nation the way the founding fathers did? Are people willing to sacrifice their lives for the freedom of others? Has the 4th of July lost its meaning in favor of BBQ's and Fireworks? Do you think that America should be a stockholder in all corporations operating within her borders? Should corporations be allowed to have the rights of real people but not the same responsibilities as real people?TANSTAAFL is an acronym that means "There ain't no such thing as a free lunch." Or in other words "Freedom... more

jubal
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My Sister's Keeper reviewed by The Rotten Tomatoes Show

Brett Erlich and Ellen Fox join forces with bloggers, comedians, students and citizen critics to review "My Sister's... more

Ellen_Fox
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15 minutes ago

Cleaner Buses in Developing World May Be Key for Climate change

BOGOTÁ, Colombia — Like most thoroughfares in booming cities of the developing world, Bogotá’s Seventh... more

stopnoise
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15 minutes ago

Debut Trailer: DJ Star

From gametrailers.com Just when you thought there is enough DJing games coming up, here is another for the Nintendo DS from... more

smurph25
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16 minutes ago

Help save Dogs and Cats from cruel and unnecessary deaths in South Korea! Action day is July 14th!

"In spite of a 1991 law which prohibits consumption of dogs and cats, a flourishing industry exists within the markets of... more

lalapabrada
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20 minutes ago

InfoMania T-shirt

I absolutely have been obsessed with current TV ever since I started watching it a couple of months ago. I love all your shows,... more

carlyhinni
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22 minutes ago

What about Jewish Nakba?

Understanding the displacement of refugees all over the Middle East in 1948 coud really bring an honest peace process.

Mymicz1
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23 minutes ago

Kids Sing A Made Up Song About Netiquette The Darndest Things

Netiquette! Now brought to you by adorable small children.

sgwhites
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26 minutes ago

Is serious discussion possible in online communities?

Can you really have a serious discussion online? What do you think?

sgwhites
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27 minutes ago

Community moderator privileges – easy to give, hard to take away

It's a good idea to think carefully before making someone a moderator. Trusting your mods is essential for any group or... more

sgwhites
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28 minutes ago

Social technology: a way of life . . . or just a damn hobby?

Is social media a way of life or a hobby! I say way of life--but what do you think?

sgwhites
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29 minutes ago

How to reduce failed threads and encourage community discussion

Community Spark has some tips on getting people talking!

sgwhites
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29 minutes ago

Phish fans buying up hotel rooms on rumors of magical mystery festival

As a West Coast fan who has made countless trips to upstate Maine for their festivals, I'm incredibly excited about this. Add... more

vampicorn
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33 minutes ago

Greenpeace gets Badass at Mt Rushmore

In addition to heaps of praise and words of encouragement, we’ve been getting a lot of flak from people who were upset that we would deface a national monument. My response to them is twofold: First, there are already climbing leads established on the rock, which the park employees use to clean the monument. Our climbers used those leads and were extremely cautious not to do any harm to the monument, and in the end they did not do any damage.

Second, all of the sanctimonious claims about our disrespect for what Mount Rushmore represents are completely baseless. We have utmost respect for the accomplishments of the great leaders who built this country, that’s why we chose it as the site for issuing our challenge to President Obama to be a leader on global warming. But Mount Rushmore was built on a mountain stolen from Native Americans. Adding insult to injury, we then carved a bunch of white people’s faces into it. So you gotta ask yourself: What does Mount Rushmore really represent?

For the record, a member of the local Oglala Sioux tribe has published an op-ed praising our action.

And our larger point still stands: If President Obama wants to be considered equal to the pantheon of great American leaders depicted on Mount Rushmore, he needs to start providing real leadership on global warming, the greatest challenge of our time.

The pesident is currently meeting with the rest of the G8 leaders in L’Aquila, Italy. Yesterday they held a press conference to announce that they were setting a target of limiting global warming to 2 degrees Celsius. But that is not what real leadership looks like – that target had already been endorsed by 109 nations even before the G8 announcement.

Plus, as worthy as this long-term goal is, the truly critical issue is that President Obama and the rest of the world’s leaders still have not laid out an adequate roadmap for how we’re going to get there. In other words, they haven’t set short-term goals that are ambitious enough to get us to the long term goal of keeping global temperature rise below 2 degrees Celsius. Scientists have clearly stated that the United States and other industrialized countries must cut their emissions by 25-40 percent below 1990 levels by 2020. But the Obama Administration, like Congress, continues to promote short-term emissions reductions targets that fall far short of what science demands.

We can’t continue to put off for tomorrow what science tells us we need to do today. While the 2 degree commitment would appear to recognize the severity of the crisis we're facing, the Obama Administration and the G8 have failed to provide any plan for staying below this critical threshold. Sign our petition now and ask Obama to be a leader on global warming, not just here in America but for the world as well.In addition to heaps of praise and words of encouragement, we’ve been getting a lot of flak from people who were upset that... more