Good news, everyone -- the government of Germany is having second thoughts about joining the latest "free" trade agreements, largely due to the pacts' odious "investor-state tribunals," which allow corporations to essentially nullify a nation's laws if they interfere with those corporations' profits. That's a real concern, as evidenced by the more-than-fivefold increase in lawsuits corporations have filed under NAFTA just in the last dozen years.
The Los Angeles Times tells us that many states with lots of sunshine won't let their citizens put solar panels on their roofs -- thanks to scaredy-cat utility corporations and the politicians they own. "We want to bring on more renewables, but we also want to make sure the cost of electricity stays reasonable," says one Duke Energy spokeshack, and there you have the problem -- corporations not wanting to risk sacrificing short-term profits for long-term stability, despite their reputation as "risk-takers." And, ah, fellas? The price will come down as you invest in it and as more people use it.
Gas drilling corporation owner gets 28 months in prison for telling employees to dump fracking waste in a Mahoning River tributary and then lie about it. The Mahoning River takes in a lot of agricultural and coal waste from Ohio and Pennsylvania, enough that Ohio has advised against swimming or eating fish caught in some sections, but the river still provides drinking water for several Ohio towns. Attorneys for Mr. Lupo cited his bad health as a reason not to send him to jail, but maybe he should have thought of that before he polluted our water.
The New York Times has finally decided to describe torture as "torture" in its pages. But approximately no one is impressed, and why should we be? To FAIR's complaints I'd add that the Times also waited until the "liberal" media essentially disappeared George W. Bush's entire Administration from the conversation about why things are so messed up in America right now.
Finally, folks in Berlin, Germany plan to build a "House of One," which would house a mosque, synagogue, and Christian church all under one roof. Each religion would have their own space to pray, but (unlike the Tri-Faith Initiative slated to come to fruition in Omaha, NE next year) the House of One would also have a common space where Muslims, Jews, and Christians could sit together. Once it's built, visiting the House of One will definitely be on my bucket list.
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