News & Views | Weekly Top Ten

Week ending Friday July 29, 2011    Readers Choice | Most Read Views... Tim DeChristopher: I Do Not Want Mercy, I Want You To Join Me Jeff Cohen: Obama is NOT “Caving” to Corporate Interests Paul Buchheit: The Question Conservatives Can't Answer Paul Krugman: 'Centrism': The Cult That Is Destroying America Christopher Brauchli: The Tax Burden of the Very Rich Robert Reich: Why Washington is About to Make the Jobs Crisis Worse Robert Scheer: Debt Madness Was Always About Killing Social Security Holly Sklar: CEOs to Workers: More for Me, Less for You Glenn Greenwald: On Not Freaking Out With Fear: An Un-American Response to the Oslo Attack Tom Tresser: None Dare Call it Privatization Readers Choice | Most Read News... Scientists: Melting Arctic Releasing Toxic Chemicals Unknown amount of trapped persistent organic pollutants poses threat to marine life and humans as temperatures rise. Obama Offers Billions in Cuts to Entitlement Programs The leader of the House Democratic Caucus indicated this weekend that tax-revenue hikes must be included in a sweeping deficit-reduction plan to win the Democratic support it will need to pass. Experts: Expect Radical Changes as 'Peak Oil' Approaches When demand for oil consistently surpasses supply, experts warn that our lives will look "very differently". Norway PM: 'Meet Terror with More Democracy, Not Less' Resilient and peaceful Norwegians won't allow attack to change their way of life . Arctic Scientist Who Exposed Climate Threat to Polar Bear Is Suspended US government conducts 'integrity inquiry' on federal biologist amid lobbying by oil firms for Arctic permits. What Recession? Profits Booming for Corporate America Strong second-quarter earnings while we still see unemployment stuck at 9.2 percent are just the latest proof that booming profits have allowed Corporate America to leave the Great Recession far behind, as well as millions of ordinary Americans. ALEC Exposed: Warming Up to Climate Change As the U.S. suffers through catastrophic tornadoes, heat waves, and other climate extremes, polluting industries and the politicians that serve them want to convince you that excess carbon dioxide in the atmosphere is actually a good thing. US Squandered Billions on Private Contractors Waste, mismanagement and poorly conceived projects mean the United States could have lost more than 15 per cent of the total given out in contracts and grants. New Study: Mountaintop Removal Killing Residents Among the 1.2 million American citizens living in mountaintop removal mining counties in central Appalachia, 60,000 cases of cancer are directly linked to the US sanctioned strip-mining practice. Obama's Former Intel Chief: Stop the Drone Strikes Dennis Blair rips Obama White House, strongly criticizing the administration’s reliance on U.S.-directed drone strikes. Home About Us Donate Sign Up Archives Founded in 1997, CommonDreams.org is an Internet-based progressive news and grassroots activism organization. We are nonprofit, independent and nonpartisan. Our Mission: To inform. To inspire. To ignite change for the common good. © Copyright 1997-2011 You are subscribed to the Common Dreams Weekly Newsletter as F.Abdolian.blogi@blogger.com. Click here to unsubscribe.

News & Views | Weekly Top Ten

Week ending Friday July 22, 2011    Readers Choice | Most Read Views... Ralph Nader: The Corporate Supreme Court David Korten: How to Liberate America from Wall Street Rule Glenn Greenwald: Barack Obama is Gutting the Core Principles of the Democratic Party Bernie Sanders: Congrats to the Gang of Six, the Powerful, the Wealthy, and Multinational Corporations Ted Rall: GOP Strategy Wrecks Economy and Obama in One Fell Swoop Chris Hedges: America's Disappeared James Ridgeway: Mass Psychosis in the US: How Big Pharma Hooked Americans on Drugs Dave Lindorff: Blowing It: Democrats, Unable to Be a Party of the People, are Sinking Themselves Mary Bottari: ALEC Exposed: Milton Friedman's Little Shop of Horror John Atcheson: The People's Budget vs. The Plutocracy Readers Choice | Most Read News... Former Obama Champions: 'Touch Social Programs and We're Out' Progressive Dems Threaten Obama over Inclusion of Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid in Debt Talks. News of the World Phone-Hacking Whistleblower Found Dead Death of Sean Hoare – who was first named journalist to allege Andy Coulson knew of hacking – not being treated as suspicious. Latin America Taunts US over Debt Woes After decades battling their own debt crises and getting lectured by Uncle Sam, Latin Americans are watching the countdown to a possible default in Washington with a mix of schadenfraude and fear of what a collapse might mean for them. 'Anonymous' Fires Back at Hacker Hunters Notorious hacker group Anonymous on posted a defiant message to police Thursday and boasted of plundering sensitive data from NATO computers. Obama Snubs Warren for Consumer Protection Bureau After a months-long guessing game, the president has chosen Richard Cordray to helm his new agency—passing over the woman who proposed it in the first place. Clinton Praises 'Vital' Austerity Measures in Greece U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said Sunday the United States strongly supports the austerity measures that Greece has taken to try to avert potential financial disaster. Shot by San Francisco Police Department, 19-Year-Old's Life Slips Away In this video the young man is still alive, wounded with blood pooling underneath his body, and surrounded by San Francisco police officers with their guns still drawn. Bombing, Shooting at Political Rally Rocks Norway Capital of Oslo; At Least 17 Dead Twin shooting and bomb attacks left 17 dead on Friday as a Norwegian gunman disguised as a policeman opened fire at a youth camp and a bomb blast tore through government buildings. States Trapped in Corporate America's Race to the Bottom For the past four decades, America's 50 states have allowed themselves to be trapped as players in a multi-state race to the bottom staged by Corporate America. Republican Lawmakers Tell the World Where to Go On Wednesday, they voted to cut all U.S. contributions to the Washington-based Organization of American States (OAS), a symbol of U.S. hemispheric dominance. Home About Us Donate Sign Up Archives Founded in 1997, CommonDreams.org is an Internet-based progressive news and grassroots activism organization. We are nonprofit, independent and nonpartisan. Our Mission: To inform. To inspire. To ignite change for the common good. © Copyright 1997-2011 You are subscribed to the Common Dreams Weekly Newsletter as F.Abdolian.blogi@blogger.com. Click here to unsubscribe.

News & Views | Weekly Top Ten

Week ending Friday July 15, 2011    Readers Choice | Most Read Views... David Morris: Why is the Most Wasteful Government Agency Not Part of the Deficit Discussion? Paul Rosenberg: Reagan Mythology is Leading US Off a Cliff James K. Galbraith: Hawk Nation: A Guide to the Catastrophic Debt Ceiling Debate Matt Taibbi: Greed, Excess and America's Gaping Class Divide Robert Reich: Why Mitch McConnell Will Win the Day Joseph E. Stiglitz: The Evils of Unregulated Capitalism Medea Benjamin: By Torpedoing the Gaza Flotilla, Israel Sunk its Own Ship Dean Baker: Manufacturing Deficit Fear: On Holding Economic Journalists to Account Pat LaMarche: The Faces of Those Obama is Betraying Dennis Kucinich: Debt Political Theater Diverts Attention While Americans' Wealth Is Stolen Partner Action: Our partners at Roots Action are launching the "We're At Our Limit" campaign to push back against the entire framing of the deficit debate. In the coming weeks you'll be able to find a wealth of information, tools, and resources posted at: www.RootsAction.org/limit. The first step they propose is to: Tell Congress and the President: Never Mind the Ceiling -- Raise the Floor! They are seeking stories of how you have been impacted by our current financial crisis. Find out more here. Readers Choice | Most Read News... ALEC Exposed: A Nationwide Blueprint for the Rightwing Takeover Founded in 1973 by Paul Weyrich and other conservative activists, ALEC is a critical arm of the right-wing network of policy shops that, with infusions of corporate cash, has evolved to shape American politics. Liberal Senators Warn Obama Over Social Security Cuts in Any Debt Deal Sens. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) and Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.) warned Friday that President Obama faces turmoil in the Senate and in his reelection campaign if he includes Social Security cuts in any debt-ceiling deal. Panetta Makes 9/11 Gaffe in Iraq Newly appointed US Defense Secretary Leon Panetta told American troops in Baghdad on Monday that 9/11 was the reason they were in Iraq, before he was quickly corrected by his spokesman. Pentagon: The Internet is a Domain of War The Defense Department’s first-ever plan for cyberspace calls on the DoD to expand its ability to thwart attacks from other nations and groups, beef up its cyber workforce and expand collaboration with the private sector. Calls Mount to Investigate Bush Era Officials for Torture Senior officials under the former George W. Bush administration knowingly authorized the torture of terrorism suspects held under United States custody, a Human Right Watch (HRW) report released here Tuesday revealed. God's Lobbyists: The Hidden Realm of Religious Influence When it comes to the government lobbying efforts of most religious institutions, their activities are notably shrouded in darkness, even as representatives of numerous faiths routinely pressure federal lawmakers. Jellyfish, With Numbers Increasing From Warming Waters and Pollution, Force Shutdown of Power Plants Expert: Sustained explosion in the population of jellyfish throughout the world's oceans has the potential to be "quite catastrophic." Rachel Corrie's Family Claim Israeli Military Withheld Vital Video Evidence American activist's father says incomplete footage was given to court hearing into his daughter's death in Gaza. Why Won’t Obama and Democrats Defend the Public Sector? The fact that a Democratic president would place the three main safety-net programs on the chopping block should prompt a critical examination of how President Obama and the current crew of Democratic leaders put us here. Obama Administration: Pot has No Accepted Medical Use Advocates for medical marijuana plan to appeal ruling in federal court. Home About Us Donate Sign Up Archives Founded in 1997, CommonDreams.org is an Internet-based progressive news and grassroots activism organization. We are nonprofit, independent and nonpartisan. Our Mission: To inform. To inspire. To ignite change for the common good. © Copyright 1997-2011 You are subscribed to the Common Dreams Weekly Newsletter as F.Abdolian.blogi@blogger.com. Click here to unsubscribe.

News & Views | Weekly Top Ten

Week ending Friday July 8, 2011    Readers Choice | Most Read Views... Connie Schultz: An Anti-Abortion Ohio Legislator's Embarrassing Night Out Wendell Potter: Health Care Debate: It's Time to Get Outraged Frank Rich: Obama's Original Sin John Nichols: What Michele Bachmann and Her Teapot 'Patriots' Do Not Know About America Jane Hamsher: Breaking Point: Obama and the Death of the Democratic Party Chris Hedges: Ralph Nader Is Tired of Running for President Jay Walljasper: Why Cycling is More Patriotic Than Flag Waving Glenn Greenwald: Reports: Obama Pushing for Cuts to Social Security, Medicare Ralph Nader: Debating Taboos Dennis Kucinich: The US Must End Its Illegal War in Libya Now Readers Choice | Most Read News... In Time of 'Austerity', Pentagon Gets Double Digit Increase The House on Friday overwhelmingly passed a $649 billion defense spending bill that boosts the Pentagon budget by $17 billion and covers the costs of wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. Rising Anger, Rising River Along Oil-Befouled Yellowstone The initial cleanup along the oil-fouled Yellowstone River is tested as rising waters make it harder to get to areas damaged by the spilled crude. French Nuclear Power Plant Explosion Heightens Safety Fears Blast at EDF's Tricastin power station in Drome comes days after nuclear authorities found 32 safety concerns at plant. UN: Only Green Technology Can Avert 'Planetary Catastrophe' Humanity is near to breaching the sustainability of Earth, and needs a technological revolution greater and faster than the industrial revolution to avoid "a major planetary catastrophe," warns a new United Nations report. Muzzled: Health Experts Unheard on Fukushima Risks U.S. media coverage of the nuclear disaster in Japan contains little serious discussion of the human health risks posed by the radiation escaping from the Fukushima nuclear facility. Yellowstone Oil Spill Eerie Foreshadowing of Eco Disasters The environmental disaster that began unfolding last week when an ExxonMobil pipeline ruptured in Montana foreshadows the problems likely to arise if the oil industry infrastructure spreads to other states that are now considering offshore drilling. House Liberals: No Cuts to Medicare, Social Security A group of House liberals is pressing President Obama to take all cuts to Medicare, Medicaid and Social Security off the table as the White House grapples with Republicans for a debt-limit deal. Justice Under Obama: Secret Detention At Sea The Obama administration approved the secret detention of a Somali terror suspect on board a US navy ship, where for two months he was subjected to military interrogation in the absence of a lawyer and without charge. Obama’s Rightward Drift in Pursuit of ‘Business Confidence’ President Obama’s news conference last week was seen by liberals as heavily pressuring Republicans to agree to raise the debt ceiling without chain-sawing through the vital functions of government.  But first, you have to wonder why President Obama is negotiating with the Republicans at all. US Replaces Japan in Role of Villain on Whales The United States has taken over the pro-whaling stance traditionally championed by Japan, but instead of supporting the capture of whales for scientific research purposes, it is doing so under the guise of aboriginal subsistence quotas. Home About Us Donate Sign Up Archives Founded in 1997, CommonDreams.org is an Internet-based progressive news and grassroots activism organization. We are nonprofit, independent and nonpartisan. Our Mission: To inform. To inspire. To ignite change for the common good. © Copyright 1997-2011 You are subscribed to the Common Dreams Weekly Newsletter as F.Abdolian.blogi@blogger.com. Click here to unsubscribe.