NewsRack: 'Strategies' news in 'Global Warming' topic for user newstrust

Too soon to tell (Cached)	21.5.2013	Le Monde Diplomatique
Ten years ago, my part of the world was full of valiant opposition to the new wars being launched far away and at home — and of despair. And like despairing people everywhere, whether in a personal depression or a political tailspin, these activists believed the future would look more or less like the present. If there was nothing else they were confident about, at least they were confident about that. Ten years ago, as a contrarian and a person who prefers not to see others suffer, I tried (...) - Open page
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Biofuels a boon for Brazil's rural poor, but obstacles remain elsewhere \| Paige McClanahan	21.5.2013	Guardian: Environment
While biofuels have facilitated slow but positive change for farmers in Brazil, other countries have been less successful Biofuels have long been hailed as one of the potential answers to climate change. Their environmental credentials are controversial , but a handful of countries are now looking at them from another angle entirely: they want to use biofuels to try to reduce poverty among rural smallholder farmers. Such efforts are in full force in Brazil, a country that is home to both a sizeable biofuels industry and about 4.1m small-scale family farms. But while some of the country's biofuels policies have fallen short, others have proved a boon to the rural poor. Smallholder farmers have seen their incomes rise thanks to the introduction of more progressive standards and new rules on contract negotiations. "The numbers show that the farmers in Brazil … have been earning far more than they were before – not only in absolute quantities, but also as a percentage of the whole value ...
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Open thread for night owls: OFA gets some pushback over Keystone XL	21.5.2013	Daily Kos
Organizing for Action, the so-called "grassroots arm" of the Obama administration, was designed to harness the youthful and hopeful energy of its members, and bring the political energy generated during the previous presidential campaigns to help support the current White House agenda. In the last week, however, the group itself has become a target for progressive activists who are fed up with the president's refusal to take a firm position against tar sands development in Canada and the growing threat of climate change. Specifically, OFA has drawn ire for refusing to take a stance against the Keystone XL pipeline which remains under review by Obama's State Department. Even as its members reportedly want Obama to reject the project, OFA has followed the White House's lead by refusing to discuss the matter until the State Dept. review is complete. “If you’re going to be a grass roots, you have to actually listen to the grass roots,” said Daniel Kessler, spokesman for 350.org, in an ...
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Oklahoma Tornado Updates - 37 Confirmed Dead So Far	21.5.2013	Little Green Footballs
Here's another thread to keep up on events in Moore, Oklahoma, with some sad news from the Associated Press: BREAKING: State medical examiner's office: 37 killed in Oklahoma tornado; death toll expected to rise -RJJ — The Associated Press (@AP) May 21, 2013
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7 Very Wrong Things About Climate Science And Energy In House Science Chair Lamar Smith’s WashPost Op-Ed	21.5.2013	Think Progres
7 Very Wrong Things About Climate Science And Energy In House Science Chair Lamar Smith’s WashPost Op-Ed
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Ringside Seat: Leaky Scandals	21.5.2013	American Prospect
Over the last week and a half of scandal-mongering, most people on the left have agreed on the basic contours of the story. Benghazi isn't a "scandal," because tragic as the killings there were, there's no evidence of malfeasance on the part of Obama administration—no crimes, no cover-up. (And no, interagency bickering over talking points does not constitute a cover-up). The IRS, on the other hand, is potentially scandalous, there having almost certainly been inappropriate behavior on the part of some of the agency's employees, but it doesn't seem to reach up to the White House. And the Justice Department's subpoenaing of phone logs from the Associated Press isn't a "scandal" as much as a disagreement over policy. What Justice did was problematic in a number of ways, but it was also legal; touching as Republicans' newfound interest in press freedoms is, you can't simply call any policy you don't like a "scandal" just because it happens to be in the news at the same time as other things you ...
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Reasons to Be Hopeful a Decade After We Went Into Iraq	21.5.2013	Mother Jones
This story first appeared on the TomDispatch website. Ten years ago, my part of the world was full of valiant opposition to the new wars being launched far away and at home—and of despair. And like despairing people everywhere, whether in a personal depression or a political tailspin, these activists believed the future would look more or less like the present. If there was nothing else they were confident about, at least they were confident about that. Ten years ago, as a contrarian and a person who prefers not to see others suffer, I tried to undermine despair with the case for hope. A decade later, the present is still contaminated by the crimes of that era, but so much has changed. Not necessarily for the better—a decade ago, most spoke of climate change as a distant problem, and then it caught up with us in 10,000 ways. But not entirely for the worse either—the vigorous climate movement we needed arose in that decade and is growing now. If there is one thing we can draw ...
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Obamas Planning Trip to Africa This Summer	21.5.2013	Little Green Footballs
I can hardly wait to see the comments at right wing blogs about this. President Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama plan to travel to Africa in late June and early July, the White House said Monday. The first couple plans to visit Senegal, South Africa and Tanzania from June 26 to July 3,the National Security Counsel said on Twitter. The White House hasn't yet released an official announcement of the trip. Via: Obamas to Africa This Summer
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Ben "Friends of Hamas" Shapiro Yells "Culture of Intimidation!"	21.5.2013	Little Green Footballs
Here's Ben " Friends of Hamas " Shapiro peddling the angry black man meme today like a rabid weasel. " CULTURE OF INTIMIDATION! " he yells. I think young Ben is honestly intimidated. Cowed, even. His dissent is being chilled. You can tell by the giant 73-pixel all-caps screaming headline. Also featured today at the hate site that Andrew Breitbart built, Judicial Watch is filing Freedom of Information Act requests to find out how much the black President is spending on his vacations. SECRET SERVICE SUED FOR OBAMA'S HAWAIIAN VACATION DOCUMENTS!!! This is an ongoing obsession at Breitbart.com. For some unknown reason , they're very, very concerned about how much money this particular President spends on vacations. Related: Breitbart's Matthew Boyle Stalks the President's Daughters, Incites Racial Hatred Breitbart.com Continues Stalking the President's ...
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Tornado Causes Massive Destruction in Oklahoma	21.5.2013	Little Green Footballs
The huge tornado that touched down today near Moore, Oklahoma, has caused terrible devastation: here's a shot from MSNBC of one area of completely leveled homes and buildings.
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Storms and Extreme Weather: The Impact of Climate Change (Videos) (Cached)	21.5.2013	Informed Comment
Any particular storm is weather, not climate. That is, it is a discrete event, whereas climate is a decades-long pattern of such events. But the pattern is worrisome. A hotter atmosphere, which we are producing by dumping 5 billion metric tons of pollution from burning coal, gas and petroleum right into our earth’s atmosphere, produces [...]
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Jack Shafer: Why the Underwear-Bomber Leak Infuriated the Obama Administration	20.5.2013	Little Green Footballs
Reuters columnist Jack Shafer has a very interesting piece on the AP leak investigation, taking a position that's rather contrary to the rest of the media: The AP story that has so infuriated the government described the breakup of an al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula plot to place an underwear bomber on board a U.S.-bound airliner. Published on the afternoon of May 7, 2012, the story patted itself on the back for having heeded the White House and CIA requests to not publish the previous week, when the AP first learned of the operation. The AP states in the article that it published only after being told by "officials" that the original "concerns were allayed." In a chronology published in today's Washington Post, we're told that the CIA was no longer resisting publication of the AP story on the day it hit the wire (Monday) and that the White House was planning to "announce the successful counterterrorism operation that Tuesday." That may be the case, but the government was still incensed by ...
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Gov. Jerry Brown exhorts Cal political science grads to go out and save the world	20.5.2013	San Jose Mercury News: California
In Berkeley, California Governor Jerry Brown challenges Cal's newest political science graduates to use their talent and knowledge to imaginatively and boldly make a difference in the world.
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‘We Would All Like Climate Sensitivity To Be Lower But It Isn’t’ Says Lead Scientist Of New Study	20.5.2013	Think Progres
‘We Would All Like Climate Sensitivity To Be Lower But It Isn’t’ Says Lead Scientist Of New Study
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Koch Brothers Storing Oil Sands Waste on Bank of Detroit River	20.5.2013	Crooks Liars
Fox 2 News Headlines A Marathon spokesperson told Fox 2 they sold the pet coke. It is now the property of Koch Carbon. Koch Carbon is part of Koch Industries, run by Charles and David Koch. When the huge black mounds that sit on the riverbanks of southwest Detroit just appeared one day, residents were puzzled and concerned. “One of the biggest concerns when we saw the black piles is what is it, and where is it coming from?” said State Representative Rashida Tlaib (D-Detroit). She said residents contacted her worried that the black piles could be toxic. Freep.com : U.S. Reps. Gary Peters, a Democrat from Bloomfield Township, and John Conyers, a Democrat from Detroit, sent a joint letter to the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality urging the agency to consider the material's potential impact on the river and nearby residents. "We fear the storage of petroleum coke along the river poses a potential threat to water and air quality. The material may contain trace amounts of ...
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May 20 News: U.S. Has ‘Deep Obligation’ To Act On Climate Change	20.5.2013	Think Progres
May 20 News: U.S. Has ‘Deep Obligation’ To Act On Climate Change
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Drumbeat: May 20, 2013	20.5.2013	The Oil Drum
Wells Dry, Fertile Plains Turn to Dust Vast stretches of Texas farmland lying over the aquifer no longer support irrigation. In west-central Kansas, up to a fifth of the irrigated farmland along a 100-mile swath of the aquifer has already gone dry. In many other places, there no longer is enough water to supply farmers’ peak needs during Kansas’ scorching summers. And when the groundwater runs out, it is gone for good. Refilling the aquifer would require hundreds, if not thousands, of years of rains. This is in many ways a slow-motion crisis — decades in the making, imminent for some, years or decades away for others, hitting one farm but leaving an adjacent one untouched. But across the rolling plains and tarmac-flat farmland near the Kansas-Colorado border, the effects of depletion are evident everywhere. Highway bridges span arid stream beds. Most of the creeks and rivers that once veined the land have dried up as 60 years of pumping have pulled groundwater levels down by scores and even ...
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Overheated rhetoric on climate change doesn’t make for good policies	20.5.2013	Washington Post
Climate change is an issue that needs to be discussed thoughtfully and objectively. Unfortunately, claims that distort the facts hinder the legitimate evaluation of policy options. The rhetoric has driven some policymakers toward costly regulations and policies that will harm hardworking American families and do little to decrease global carbon emissions. The Obama administration’s decision to delay, and possibly deny, the Keystone XL pipeline is a prime ...
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We Tracked Down Our Biggest Troll…and Kind of Liked Him	20.5.2013	Mother Jones
If you've ever read anything on the internet, chances are you've encountered a troll. No, not the kind that live under bridges , or the ones with a shock of neon hair. We're talking about those annoying commenters who get their kicks by riling people up as much as possible. But have you ever wondered who these people really are? Well, we found out. Internet researchers at George Mason University recently found that when it comes to online commenting, throwing bombs gets more attention than being nice, and makes readers double down on their preexisting beliefs. What's more, trolls create a false sense that a topic is more controversial than it really is. Witness the overwhelming consensus on climate change amongst scientists—97 percent agreement that global warming is real, and caused by humans. But that doesn"t settle the question for Twitter addict and Climate Desk perennial thorn in the side Hoyt Connell: "If you allow somebody to make a comment and there's no response, then ...
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Little Green Footballs: Week in Review	20.5.2013	Little Green Footballs
Here's a look back over this week's numerous fake scandals and right wing wild goose chases -- and this is not an exhaustive list by any means: Whoa! Obama's Twitter Account Includes a 'Fallen Eagle' Heritage Immigration Study Co-Author: 'I Do Not Apologize' National Review Defends White Nationalist-Linked Heritage Immigration Expert Pat Buchanan Calls for 'Southern Strategy' Against Latinos, Immigrants White House Email Contradicts Weekly Standard/ABC Benghazi Leaks WaPo Fact-Checker Says Obama 'Got Away With' Stating a Fact Republicans Oddly Silent Over DOJ Raid on AP Records Stephen Colbert on the Heritage Foundation Immigration Study Pickering and Mullen Don't Trust Darrell Issa - and They Shouldn't GOHMERT! Glenn Beck's Crazy Crypto-Racist Rant of the Day: Whites Lynched by KKK Would Be Tea Partiers Today CBS Evening News: Republican Sources Caught Doctoring Emails Umbrellagate! Daily Caller Cooks Up Another Stupid Scandal, Commenters Spew Vile Racism Colbert ...
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