Earth’s warming climate is estimated to contribute to more than 150,000 deaths and 5 million illnesses each year, according to the World Health Organization, a toll that could double by 2030.

The data, being published today in the journal Nature, indicate that climate change is driving up rates of malaria, malnutrition and diarrhea throughout the world.

Whether it is an increase in poor health from diseases such as malaria or shrinking water supplies, nations in sub-Saharan Africa, Asia and South America are vulnerable to the consequences of changes in global temperatures. 

Thus, those least responsible for global warming will suffer the most from it.

No Comments »

I’m told the entire Calfornia state prison system may go into complete lockdown for the week before and after the upcoming execution of Tookie Williams, this being Dec. 6-20.

Williams, who founded the Crips, has been nominated for a Nobel Peace Prize five times for his work while in prison in dissuading kids from joining the gang life. Nothing can be gained from his death. He has apologized for his gang life but says he can not apologize for the murders he is in prison for because he did not commit them.

Gov. Schwarzenegger has said he’s made no decision yet on commuting Williams’ sentence to life.

The execution is scheduled for Dec. 13. 

Tag: Tookie Williams

No Comments »

From In My Own Way commenting on our Steve Earle post

James McMurtry is a good ol’ boy from Texas who has more that a few words for the Bush regime that’s destroying this country. You can download his fine song: "We Can’t Make It Here" at the following address for free.

James McMurtry

Bernie Sanders has his permission to use it for his campaign next year.

His album, "Live in Aught-Three" is a delightful live take on his music, on which he gets to zing ‘W’ a couple times during his between song patter.

Bernie Sanders is running for the Senate in Vermont as an independent. A long time member of the House, he is the most popular politician in the state, his election is assured, and, oh yeah, he’s socialist.  That’s right, come 2006, there will be a real live socialist in the US Senate.

Download the McMurty song. Then check out the rest of Compadre Records for some quite amazing roots music.

No Comments »

No Comments »

This is one of the clearest explanations I’ve seen as to why water privatization is a terrible idea.

Champions of privatization want to do is to take all the assets of the government and give them to private corporations to run at a profit. For example, if my local municipality has spent 100 years putting together a water supply for my community, something we paid for and we own, these fellas want to give it to some guy so he can make a profit selling me water. Sometimes the new owner is asked to make a modest investment in his new business, but seldom does that entry fee represent anything like the value of the assets that have been privatized into his care.

Formerly, water - clean, healthy water was practically a right. It didn’t matter who I was. Turn on the tap and the water flows. If it didn’t, there was hell to pay and we could vote the water commissioners, councilmen, or whoever was responsible, out of office and even demand that they be heavily fined or jailed for betraying a public trust.

Once privatized, what was our water isn’t a right anymore. It is a product. If it becomes more profitable to do something else with it than sell it to us at whatever rate the market will bear, then we’d better get used to not having any water.

But above and beyond this kind of shell game, one of the worst things these champions of privatization do is to set up the government to fail, purposefully to demonstrate to us all that government can’t do the job properly.

2 Comments »