Plastic Bags banned in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil!

Under-Secretary-General and UNEP Executive Director, has said that, “single use plastic bags which choke marine life, should be banned or phased-out rapidly everywhere,” noting that, “there is simply zero justification for manufacturing them anymore, anywhere.” The Brazilian city of Rio de Janeiro has heeded that advice and beginning today, July 16, 2010, Rio will begin enforcing its plastic bag ban, adding itself to the list of global cities and countries that have implemented a ban.

Law No. 5502 goes into effect today after Governor Sérgio Cabral vetoed a Legislative bid to postpone the law from going into effect until January 2011. Also on Friday, the Ministry of Environment will visit supermarkets and shops to ensure that the  new law is being enforced, although a first offense for non-compliance will only result in a warning and educational tips on how to enact the plastic bag ban.  Beyond this first sweep, though, shops can expect a fine of up to US$20,000. 

Although shops and markets will no longer be offering plastic bags there are alternatives available in the form of paper, canvas, and raffia (a palm that is similar to hemp). The hope is that people will move away from paper bags, which actually have higher environmental externalities than plastic bags (at least in the short term), and move towards reusable bags.

The unsustainable way of life we are currently enjoying will have to come to an end - whether by choice or by necessity and this is just one more step in Brazil's effort to lead the environmental revolution, which many, including myself, believe is inescapable. 

Obama Speech on December First 2009

Barack Obama tonight will end months of uncertainty over his Afghanistan policy when he announces a military escalation in an attempt to prevent the war from being lost. Main points so far.

• Troops will start pulling out before the end of 2012
* Extra troops will be deployed in six months
• Obama will send about 30,000 more soldiers
• US wants an extra 5,000 to 10,000 Nato troops

Barack Obama, the Nobel prize winner, is sending 30 000 more troops to Afghanistan! Nobel for Peace? Obama? Very funny…

The issue on Afghanistan is that the Afghan people has never lost a war, even against 110 000 Russians troops. The contradiction is that USA(CIA) helped the Afghan people fight the Russians with modernized weapons and skills, which are now being used to kill American troops in the battle field.

Secretary of Defense, Mr. Gates's knowledge of how the Soviet occupation and its brutalities inflamed local anger contributed to his initial skepticism about a U.S. surge. "I worry a great deal about the size of the foreign military footprint in Afghanistan," he told a Senate hearing in April. "Soviets were in there with 110,000 troops, didn't care about civilian casualties and couldn't win."

Make no mistake, the regular American people areNOT the ones who gain from this war. Corporations and Corrupted Politicians are the ones and only ones who benefits from these actions.

Let’s make PEACE not WAR and come back to our origins of a great America. The American Lobby greedy for more power will be the sole reason for the destruction of the great American dream. Wake Up America!

BTW, Obama, bye bye reelection.

"You can fool all the people some of the time, and some of the people all the time, but you cannot fool all the people all the time." -
-- Abraham Lincoln

July 22, 2009 Solar Eclipse Pictures & Photos

Today was the longest lasting total eclipse of the 21st century, lasting over 6 minutes and 30 seconds in some areas.

The event began just after dawn local time on India's east coast. Several cities including Bhopal and Varanasi will be plunged into complete darkness and the eclipse will passed over some of the most heavily populated places on earth, moving across India, towards China and eventually reaching the Pacific Ocean.

Cuba Joins Venezuela in Accusing US of Supporting Coup Leaders

Cuba has joined Venezuelan leader Hugo Chavez in accusing the US of 'providing military support' to the de facto government in Honduras that removed the country's elected leader Manuel Zelaya in a coup.

While speaking in Nicaragua, the Cuban Vice President Esteban Lazo said on Sunday that Havana demands that Washington 'cease its intervention' in Honduras' affairs.

"President Zelaya should be restored to his office, as requested by the Organization of American States (OAS) and other international organizations," said Lazo who representing Cuban President Raul Castro who was in Managua celebrating the 30th anniversary of Nicaragua's Sandinista revolution.

Although the US has a military base in Honduras, Washington has repeatedly condemned Zelaya's ouster, called for his reinstatement.

California Finally Has A Budget

California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger joined legislative leaders Monday night to tell reporters that a budget compromise had finally been reached to patch up the current $26 billion dollar budget gap. The budget will provide temporary relief for California if it survives in the two houses of the State Legislature.

"We are very happy to have a basic agreement," Schwarzenegger said outside his office.

"All around I think it is a really great, great accomplishment," added the Hollywood star turned politician.

Here are the details of the new budget according to PressTV:

Under the currently proposed deal, the state will enforce $15.5 billion in cuts in the education sector and in health and welfare services. Around $4 billion will be taken from local governments, and $2 billion will come from new borrowing.

The state will also employ accounting maneuvers to plug nearly $3 billion of the budget hole, around $1 billion of which will come from assigning end-of-year pay to state workers to the next fiscal year.

Controversial plans to release prisoners early, however, will not take effect even though prisons will be subject to budget cuts. State parks will stay open and an off-shore oil drilling project will get the go-ahead.

College students will also be temporarily shielded from the deteriorating economy as those who have been promised grants this year will be able to receive them.

The plan will not entail tax increases, according to Schwarzenegger.

Although the budget gap will be closed, at least for this year, not everyone is happy with the results.

"This is a sober time because there isn't a lot of good news in this budget," The Associated Press quoted Senate President Darrell Steinberg as saying. "We have cut in many areas that matter to real people, but I think we have done so responsibly."

Karen Bass, the speaker of the California Assembly, in a telephone interview with The New York Times termed the budget as one that would cause pain. "I would characterize this budget as shared pain and shared sacrifice."

"This is, of course, one of the most difficult economic times to face our state since the Great Depression, so none of these were easy choices," said Assembly Minority Leader Sam Blakeslee, a Republican. "I think we selected a path which will lead the state back to the point where we will be strong."

A vote on the measures to close the $26 billion deficit is expected on Thursday.

Black Scholar Henry Louis Gates Jr. Victim of Racial Profiling

The Boston Globe is reporting that Harvard professor Henry Louis Gates Jr. was arrested Thursday afternoon at his home by Cambridge.

Gates is one of the nation's pre-eminent African-American scholars and director of the W.E.B. Du Bois Institute for African and African American Research at Harvard. Questions have been raised by some Harvard faculty that Gates was a victim of racial profiling after he was arrested by police investigating a possible break-in after he locked himself out of his house and was trying to get inside.

Cambridge police booked him for disorderly conduct after reportedly exhibiting volatile behavior.

Friends said Harvard Law School professor Charles Ogletree, who has taken on previous cases with racial implications, is representing Gates.

Iran Observatory to Broadcast Total Solar Eclipse Live Online - July 22, 2009

It is being reported that the Isfahan Kowsar Observatory in Iran will be providing live online coverage of the longest total solar eclipse of the 21st century. Those people interested in watching the eclipse can register at universealive.com or isfahancht.ir, but it is recommended that you act fast, as their server can only accommodate a specific number of people.

"Technical limitations do not let more than 10,000 people use the links and astronomy enthusiasts should therefore register as soon as possible," said head of the IT department Mohammad Akouchkian.

"Those who sign up will also be able to make use of a question-and-answer audio program in Persian while watching the event," he added.

The website will also post a video of the eclipse one hour after the event for those who were unable to watch live.

The eclipse is scheduled take place on Wednesday July 22, 2009, and will the longest lasting eclipse until it is surpassed in duration on June 13, 2132.

Totality of the eclipse will last for up to 6 minutes and 39 seconds, with the maximum eclipse occurring in the ocean at 02:35:21 UTC about 100 km south of the Bonin Islands, southeast of Japan. The North Iwo Jima Island is the landmass with totality time closest to maximum.