Washington, DC sinking fast, adding to threat of sea-level rise

New research confirms that the land under the Chesapeake Bay is sinking rapidly and projects that Washington, D.C., could drop by six or more inches in the next century–adding to the problems of sea-level rise. This falling land will exacerbate the flooding that the nation’s capital faces from rising ocean waters due to a warming climate and melting ice sheets–accelerating …

Did Hell Just Freeze Over? Obama to Free Scores of Non-Violent Drug Offenders from Prison – Matt Agorist

The timeless words of Joe Rogan seem to be taking their toll on the consciences of American politicians. To kidnap and lock people in a cage for a personal choice and action that harms no one, is an evil act. Some politicians are figuring this out — or at least pandering to public demand. Either way, the result is the …

How to Steal from the Taxpayers While Blaming the Poor – Paul Buchheit

a vicious circle of hypocrisy: Americans dependent on the safety net are urged to “get a job” by the same free-market system that pays them too little to avoid being dependent on the safety net. Theft, Part 1: The Average U.S. Household Pays About $400 for Safety Net Programs for Low-Wage Workers According to the Economic Policy Institute, $45 billion per …

US Behind Scenarios to Destroy Venezuela – Nil NIKANDROV

The precise date for election in Venezuela is not defined as yet. Probably Venezuelans will go to vote in October – November. President Nicolas Maduro said he wanted an election as soon as possible. The pre-race campaign hits the radar. It could be said without exaggeration that the fate of Venezuelan – style socialism, the goal of Bolivarian movement, is …

Freedom Rider: Gentrification and the Death of Black Communities – Margaret Kimberley

“The inhabitants are pushed aside to make way for transplants who may come from the suburbs, another state or even from another country.” There is no city in this country where black people are safe from the current method of displacement known as gentrification. Washington, DC, once had a majority black population and was known as Chocolate City. Perhaps it …

Four Cancer Charities Face Fraud Charges of scamming $187 million – DAN MCCUE

The Federal Trade Commission and all 50 states on Tuesday accused four cancer charities of scamming donors out of $187 million that the operators then spent on gym memberships, dating website subscriptions, jet ski outings, and other personal expenses. In a complaint field in the Phoenix. Arizona Federal Court, the plaintiffs say the charities — the Cancer Fund of America, …

U.S. Rates Worse for Maternal Health

According to a new report conducted by the State of the World Mother’s, the United States ranks 33 out of 179 countries surveyed for maternal health. [1] Just last year, the U.S. was at 31. How can a country so developed be drastically behind other countries in taking care of mothers and their newborns? Could it be the medical establishment in the …

Urban Slums: A Death Trap For Poor Children – Valentina Ieri

It’s called the urban survival gap – fuelled by the growing inequality between rich and poor in both developing and developed countries – and it literally determines whether millions of infants will live or die before their fifth birthday. Save the Children’s annual report on the State of the World’s Mothers 2015 ranks 179 countries and concludes that that “for babies born …

How The Politics of Memory Affects Us All – Sam Osherson Ph.D.

“The past is never dead. It’s not even past.”  Faulkner, Requiem for a Nun. This year brings a 50th anniversary commemoration of the Vietnam War sponsored by the Pentagon, complete with a website, interactive videos, and a $15 million price tag for taxpayers. Cost overruns are to be expected. Commemoration? Is that quite the right word to describe a war, particularly …

Why the conventional wisdom on schooling is all wrong

Kids go to school to learn stuff. Right? Not exactly, according to veteran education Marion Brady, who has long argued that public education needs a paradigm shift — though not the same one pushed by school reformers who champion the Common Core State Standards, school choice and vouchers. Brady says schools need a complete transformation in what and how students …