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DeSwiss
DeSwiss's Journal
DeSwiss's Journal
December 30, 2012
TheNewYorkTimes
Published on Dec 28, 2012
Jeffrey Wright uses wacky experiments to teach children about the universe, but it is his own personal story that teaches them the true meaning of life.
Related article: http://nyti.ms/Y8CE7D
Watch more videos at http://nytimes.com/video
Follow on Twitter: http://twitter.com/nytimesvideo
Wright's Law: A unique teacher imparts real life lessons
TheNewYorkTimes
Published on Dec 28, 2012
Jeffrey Wright uses wacky experiments to teach children about the universe, but it is his own personal story that teaches them the true meaning of life.
Related article: http://nyti.ms/Y8CE7D
Watch more videos at http://nytimes.com/video
Follow on Twitter: http://twitter.com/nytimesvideo
December 28, 2012
- If I have to come back as a paper product, I hope its facial tissues......
Part of The Family
- If I have to come back as a paper product, I hope its facial tissues......
December 27, 2012
NTDTV · Published on Dec 26, 2012
It's a modern-day version of a message in a bottle. From a Chinese labor camp to the home of a US resident.
On Sunday, the Oregon-based Oregonian newspaper reported a letter resident Julie Keith discovered inside a box of Halloween decorations. She bought it from Kmart in October.
The box came from China—and according to the letter—it wasn't from a factory. Instead, the decorations were made here, at the Masanjia Labor Camp in Shenyang, Liaoning province.
The letter claims detainees work 15-hour days and are paid less than $2 USD a month for forced labor. It says thousands are held there, and that many are persecuted Falun Gong practitioners.
Former detainees at Masanjia have corroborated the claims in the letter.
{Dai Liguo, Formerly Detained Falun Gong Practitioner}
"I was sent to Masanjia in 1999 and persecuted there. They produce handmade crafts for export. Most are plastic and are toxic. I was making Christmas decorations, and also knitted sweaters. I had to work from 5 in the morning to 11 at night."
{Guo Yujun, Formerly Detained Falun Gong Practitioner}
"Aside from toilet breaks, we had to sit for the whole day, and make those products. There wasn't a day off, and we weren't fed properly. In our case, there was no pay for our work."
China's labor re-education system is notorious for rights abuses. The system is used heavily in the Communist regime's persecution of the Falun Gong spiritual practice. In 2008, the US State Department estimated up to half of the 200,000 registered detainees in Chinese labor camps were Falun Gong adherents.
Whoever wrote the letter discovered in Oregon did not sign it. But they did ask for it to be sent to human rights organizations.
It is illegal in the US to import products made by convict labor and forced labor. The Oregonian reports that the US Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Homeland Security Investigations are now looking into the claims.
Sears Holdings Corporations, which runs Kmart, has also said it is holding its own investigations.
For more news and videos visit ☛ http://ntd.tv
Follow us on Twitter ☛ http://twitter.com/NTDTelevision
Add us on Facebook ☛ http://on.fb.me/s5KV2C
Former Masanjia Detainees Corroborate Forced Labor Plea Letter
NTDTV · Published on Dec 26, 2012
It's a modern-day version of a message in a bottle. From a Chinese labor camp to the home of a US resident.
On Sunday, the Oregon-based Oregonian newspaper reported a letter resident Julie Keith discovered inside a box of Halloween decorations. She bought it from Kmart in October.
The box came from China—and according to the letter—it wasn't from a factory. Instead, the decorations were made here, at the Masanjia Labor Camp in Shenyang, Liaoning province.
The letter claims detainees work 15-hour days and are paid less than $2 USD a month for forced labor. It says thousands are held there, and that many are persecuted Falun Gong practitioners.
Former detainees at Masanjia have corroborated the claims in the letter.
{Dai Liguo, Formerly Detained Falun Gong Practitioner}
"I was sent to Masanjia in 1999 and persecuted there. They produce handmade crafts for export. Most are plastic and are toxic. I was making Christmas decorations, and also knitted sweaters. I had to work from 5 in the morning to 11 at night."
{Guo Yujun, Formerly Detained Falun Gong Practitioner}
"Aside from toilet breaks, we had to sit for the whole day, and make those products. There wasn't a day off, and we weren't fed properly. In our case, there was no pay for our work."
China's labor re-education system is notorious for rights abuses. The system is used heavily in the Communist regime's persecution of the Falun Gong spiritual practice. In 2008, the US State Department estimated up to half of the 200,000 registered detainees in Chinese labor camps were Falun Gong adherents.
Whoever wrote the letter discovered in Oregon did not sign it. But they did ask for it to be sent to human rights organizations.
It is illegal in the US to import products made by convict labor and forced labor. The Oregonian reports that the US Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Homeland Security Investigations are now looking into the claims.
Sears Holdings Corporations, which runs Kmart, has also said it is holding its own investigations.
For more news and videos visit ☛ http://ntd.tv
Follow us on Twitter ☛ http://twitter.com/NTDTelevision
Add us on Facebook ☛ http://on.fb.me/s5KV2C
December 27, 2012
Dr. ICANTCONTROLMYBONERS Is Having A Bad Day @ Yelp.com
Indignant Yelpers wreak havoc on the dentist who fired his assistant for being "irresistible."
- Don't forget to check out the pics!
h/t - http://blog.jezebel.com/
December 26, 2012
Published on Dec 25, 2012
A Christmas Day tornado touched down west of downtown Mobile, Ala., on Tuesday afternoon, knocking down trees and power lines and damaging property. No injuries were immediately reported.
Tornado Touches Down in Mobile, AL During Live Broadcast Christmas Day 2012
Published on Dec 25, 2012
A Christmas Day tornado touched down west of downtown Mobile, Ala., on Tuesday afternoon, knocking down trees and power lines and damaging property. No injuries were immediately reported.
December 26, 2012
Piers Morgan's popularity continues to plummet - not only is the petition calling for him to be deported now on more than 61,000 signatures, but Jeremy Clarkson has weighed into the fray, issuing a public plea that the chat show host is NOT returned to Britain.
The row erupted after CNN host Morgan attacked the right to bear arms in the wake of the Sandy Hook school massacre.
A gun lobby petition to deport Morgan is now well over the required threshold of 25,000 signatories - meaning the White House has an obligation to respond.
Now Morgan's geographical location is on even shakier ground, after Top Gear host Jeremy Clarkson tweeted a plea that the former British tabloid editor is not returned to his homeland.
MORE
[center]“Humility is selfless respect for reality.” ~Iris Murdoch[/center]
'It Took Us 40 Years To Get Rid Of Him, Please Don't Send Him Back'
Huffington Post UK | By Sara C Nelson | Posted: 25/12/2012 15:26 GMT | Updated: 25/12/2012 16:12 GMTPiers Morgan's popularity continues to plummet - not only is the petition calling for him to be deported now on more than 61,000 signatures, but Jeremy Clarkson has weighed into the fray, issuing a public plea that the chat show host is NOT returned to Britain.
The row erupted after CNN host Morgan attacked the right to bear arms in the wake of the Sandy Hook school massacre.
A gun lobby petition to deport Morgan is now well over the required threshold of 25,000 signatories - meaning the White House has an obligation to respond.
Now Morgan's geographical location is on even shakier ground, after Top Gear host Jeremy Clarkson tweeted a plea that the former British tabloid editor is not returned to his homeland.
MORE
[center]“Humility is selfless respect for reality.” ~Iris Murdoch[/center]
December 26, 2012
Reader's Supported News
By Tom Philpott, Mother Jones
25, December 2012
Monsanto's Roundup has created herbicide resistant
weeds. (photo: Paul Sakuma/AP)
When Monsanto revolutionised agriculture with a line of genetically engineered seeds, the promise was that the technology would lower herbicide use - because farmers would have to spray less. In fact, as Washington State University researcher Chuch Benbrook has shown, just the opposite happened.
Sixteen years on, Roundup (Monsanto's tradename for its glyphosate herbicide) has certainly killed lots of weeds. But the ones it has left standing are about as resistant to herbicide as the company's Roundup Ready crops, which are designed to survive repeated applications of the agribusiness giant's own Roundup herbicide.
For just one example, turn to Mississippi, where cotton, corn, and soy farmers have been using Roundup Ready seeds for years - and are now struggling to contain a new generation of super weeds, including a scourge of Italian ryegrass. "Fight resistant weeds with fall, spring attack," declares a headline in Delta Farm Press, a farming trade magazine serving the Mississippi river delta. The article's author, a Mississippi State University employee, lays out the challenge:
The solution: "Fall residual herbicide treatments followed by spring burn-down applications, where a non-selective herbicide is applied to fields before planting." Translation: to combat the plague of resistant Italian ryegrass, Mississippi's cotton farmers must hit their fields with a "residual" herbicide in the fall - meaning one that hangs around in soil long enough to kill ryegrass for a while, and then come back with yet another herbicide in the spring, to make sure the job has been done.
MORE
- Better living through chemistry........ 
Meet the Weeds that Monsanto Can't Beat
Instead of the supposed revolution in agriculture that Monsato's GM seeds were meant to bring, the opposite effect has occurred – a rise in herbicide useReader's Supported News
By Tom Philpott, Mother Jones
25, December 2012
Monsanto's Roundup has created herbicide resistant
weeds. (photo: Paul Sakuma/AP)
When Monsanto revolutionised agriculture with a line of genetically engineered seeds, the promise was that the technology would lower herbicide use - because farmers would have to spray less. In fact, as Washington State University researcher Chuch Benbrook has shown, just the opposite happened.
Sixteen years on, Roundup (Monsanto's tradename for its glyphosate herbicide) has certainly killed lots of weeds. But the ones it has left standing are about as resistant to herbicide as the company's Roundup Ready crops, which are designed to survive repeated applications of the agribusiness giant's own Roundup herbicide.
For just one example, turn to Mississippi, where cotton, corn, and soy farmers have been using Roundup Ready seeds for years - and are now struggling to contain a new generation of super weeds, including a scourge of Italian ryegrass. "Fight resistant weeds with fall, spring attack," declares a headline in Delta Farm Press, a farming trade magazine serving the Mississippi river delta. The article's author, a Mississippi State University employee, lays out the challenge:
- In 2005, Italian ryegrass resistant to the commonly used herbicide glyphosate was first identified in the state. Since then, it has been found in 31 Mississippi counties and is widespread throughout the delta. This glyphosate-resistant weed emerges in the fall and grows throughout winter and early spring.
The solution: "Fall residual herbicide treatments followed by spring burn-down applications, where a non-selective herbicide is applied to fields before planting." Translation: to combat the plague of resistant Italian ryegrass, Mississippi's cotton farmers must hit their fields with a "residual" herbicide in the fall - meaning one that hangs around in soil long enough to kill ryegrass for a while, and then come back with yet another herbicide in the spring, to make sure the job has been done.
MORE
- Better living through chemistry........
December 26, 2012
h/t to Jeanne Devon @ The Mudflats
- Peace On Earth.
Fairuz -sawt el eid [silent night] Christmas carol
Today is for peace on earth and human solidarity, not partisan snark. In that spirit, we dedicate to our brothers and sisters in the Tea Party this gorgeous version of “Silent Night” in Arabic.h/t to Jeanne Devon @ The Mudflats
- Peace On Earth.
December 26, 2012
from Focus Forward Films
THE SUPER SUPERCAPACITOR is a Finalist in the $200,000 FOCUS FORWARD Filmmaker Competition and is in the running to become the $100,000 Grand Prize Winner. It could also be named an Audience Favorite if it's among the ten that receives the most votes. If you love it, vote for it. Click on the VOTE button in the top right corner of the video player. Note that voting may not be available on all mobile platforms, and browser cookies must be enabled to vote.
Ric Kaner set out to find a new way to make graphene, the thinnest and strongest material on earth. What he found was a new way to power the world.
FULL CREDITS
Director: Brian Golden Davis
Producers: David Paul Meyer, Laura Lee, Brian Golden Davis
Directors of Photography: Brian Golden Davis, David Paul Meyer
Sound: David Paul Meyer
Music Performed by: Falling Fall, Snow Flake Symphony - Benjamin Vella & Barney Freeman
Mice Music - Ben Stone & John Trudeau
Special Thanks: Ric Kaner, Maher El-Kady, Charles Lee
The Super Supercapacitor
http://vimeo.com/51873011from Focus Forward Films
THE SUPER SUPERCAPACITOR is a Finalist in the $200,000 FOCUS FORWARD Filmmaker Competition and is in the running to become the $100,000 Grand Prize Winner. It could also be named an Audience Favorite if it's among the ten that receives the most votes. If you love it, vote for it. Click on the VOTE button in the top right corner of the video player. Note that voting may not be available on all mobile platforms, and browser cookies must be enabled to vote.
Ric Kaner set out to find a new way to make graphene, the thinnest and strongest material on earth. What he found was a new way to power the world.
FULL CREDITS
Director: Brian Golden Davis
Producers: David Paul Meyer, Laura Lee, Brian Golden Davis
Directors of Photography: Brian Golden Davis, David Paul Meyer
Sound: David Paul Meyer
Music Performed by: Falling Fall, Snow Flake Symphony - Benjamin Vella & Barney Freeman
Mice Music - Ben Stone & John Trudeau
Special Thanks: Ric Kaner, Maher El-Kady, Charles Lee
December 26, 2012
Published on Dec 25, 2012
With less than ten days to go on this petition to the White House, Chinese dissident artist Ai Weiwei has helped to pass it around on Twitter.
The petition was launched by three US doctors, including renowned bioethics scholar Arthur Caplan. They want the Obama administration to condemn and investigate claims the Chinese regime is killing persecuted Falun Gong practitioners for their organs.
Ai Weiwei tweeted this message to promote the petition. He adds: "Does conscience count as an illegal organ?" The word conscience in Chinese is written as "Benevolent Heart".
The petition needs 25,000 signatures by January 1st. Then the White House is compelled to make a formal response.
In Taiwan, legislators also urged leaders of the free world to speak out.
(Hsu Chun-hsin, Taiwanese Legislator)
"Please, President Obama, condemn this behavior by the Chinese regime. It's violating human rights. Otherwise, the global standard for human rights will sink even further."
In September, witnesses gave evidence on the forced organ harvesting claims during a US Congressional hearing. These include interviews with former prisoners, and a doctor whose patient was promised an organ "on demand" from a Chinese hospital.
The matter has also been raised at various forums in Europe and the United Nations.
(Yang Hsien-Hung, President, Chinese Human Rights Concern Alliance)
"The live organ harvesting of Falun Gong practitioners has been through many hearings, the evidence provided is sufficient to show it’s happening. I don’t think Obama should wait until after the petition (has enough signatures) to condemn it."
As of today (December 25), the petition requires another 4,400 signatures.
NTD News, Taiwan
http://ntdtv.org/en/news/china/2012-12-25/ai-weiwei-retweets-organ-harvesting-petition-to-the-white-house.html
Ai Weiwei Retweets Organ Harvesting Petition to the White House
Published on Dec 25, 2012
With less than ten days to go on this petition to the White House, Chinese dissident artist Ai Weiwei has helped to pass it around on Twitter.
The petition was launched by three US doctors, including renowned bioethics scholar Arthur Caplan. They want the Obama administration to condemn and investigate claims the Chinese regime is killing persecuted Falun Gong practitioners for their organs.
Ai Weiwei tweeted this message to promote the petition. He adds: "Does conscience count as an illegal organ?" The word conscience in Chinese is written as "Benevolent Heart".
The petition needs 25,000 signatures by January 1st. Then the White House is compelled to make a formal response.
In Taiwan, legislators also urged leaders of the free world to speak out.
(Hsu Chun-hsin, Taiwanese Legislator)
"Please, President Obama, condemn this behavior by the Chinese regime. It's violating human rights. Otherwise, the global standard for human rights will sink even further."
In September, witnesses gave evidence on the forced organ harvesting claims during a US Congressional hearing. These include interviews with former prisoners, and a doctor whose patient was promised an organ "on demand" from a Chinese hospital.
The matter has also been raised at various forums in Europe and the United Nations.
(Yang Hsien-Hung, President, Chinese Human Rights Concern Alliance)
"The live organ harvesting of Falun Gong practitioners has been through many hearings, the evidence provided is sufficient to show it’s happening. I don’t think Obama should wait until after the petition (has enough signatures) to condemn it."
As of today (December 25), the petition requires another 4,400 signatures.
NTD News, Taiwan
http://ntdtv.org/en/news/china/2012-12-25/ai-weiwei-retweets-organ-harvesting-petition-to-the-white-house.html
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