Monday, November 26, 2018

Notations From the Grid (Final Month-End Edition): On Our World

As we bid farewell to November, our team decided to present a brief snapshot of some of the alternative media in our World as we await December and look forward to being of service in 2019--beginning with a tribute to the Syrian Activist Raed Fares that was gunned down in Idlib as we pay tribute to him and all the valiant fighters for truth and justice in our World: 







The Doomsday Machine and Nuclear Winter - Daniel Ellsberg on RAI (11/12)
An H Bomb first strike will create firestorms and smoke that ends most human life; this is a fact ignored by military planners and by the Trump administration which doesn’t believe in climate science – says Daniel Ellsberg on Reality Asserts Itself with Paul Jay

Trump Considering to Put Venezuela on 'State Sponsor of Terrorism' List and Intensify Sanctions
According reports in Washington Post and Reuters, the Trump administration is actively exploring the option of placing Venezuela on the state sponsor of terrorism list, to further intensify sanctions that have already caused significant damage to Venezuela’s economy. We speak to Steve Ellner about the sanctions’ effects

Amazon Gets $3 Billion in NY Tax Breaks While Underfunded Public Transport Enters 'Death Spiral'
Prof. Richard Wolff explains why the $3 billion subsidy for one of the world’s largest corporations is a terrible waste of public money

Antitrust and How Kleptocracy Corrupts What Markets are Supposed to do Well
Bert Foer, Senior Fellow at the American Antitrust Institute speaks at the forum, “Destroying the Myths of Market Fundamentalism,” held in Washington DC, on October 19, 2018

China Intensifies Crackdown on Marxist Student Activists
Chinese university students, inspired by their studies of Marx, are facing an increasing state crackdown on their movement in support of workers who have been trying to organize Shenzhen’s Jasic Technology. Prof. Zhun Xu analyzes the situation

Ralph Nader: Destroying the Myths of Market Fundamentalism
Market fundamentalism’s ideological tyranny is metastasizing, afflicting the young, silencing politicians and hoodwinking the media. Too few progressives have a handle on the powerful arguments that can be made to counter market fundamentalism. It’s time to confront the myths with compelling empirical reality that deconstructs and destroys the plutocratic hoax. A roundtable recorded at the…

Can a $1.8 Billion Gift to Johns Hopkins University Spark National College Affordability Policy Changes?
TRNN’s Khalilah Harris discusses critiques and possible implications of Michael Bloomberg’s historic donation with Lester Spence, political commentator and Hopkins Associate Professor of Political Science and Africana Studies

Sunday, November 18, 2018

#RandomThoughts On Our World On This #Thanksgiving2018

On The Road in Irvine, California at the San Juan Creek Reservoir 


It is dawn of Thanksgiving Week here in the United States.    It has been quite a challenging week in our home state as epitomized by this courtesy of the Daily Overview:




What was reported by the LA Times on how the Northern California Started is absolutely horrific as we picked this during our daily assessment On the Grid: 
The Culpability of Pacific Gas and Electric will be quite a development as the investigations continue.   We welcome President Trump's visit to our home state yesterday.

The Mid-Term results keep coming in.  Although the Republicans will pick up a net gain of 2 seats in the US Senate, it is being negated by the profound Blue Wave.  Orange County, California--our home county--will not have a single Republican Representative for the next Congress in the US House.  

Beyond the Shores of America, there are profound developments around the World.   We're seeing reports of pending elections in Israel with profound implications for the region. 

We are also taking some time to reflect upon all that we're thankful for during this holiday season here in the United States.   As we go "dark" in our properties, our broadcast pod along with our Twitter Channel will have updates daily along with our updates in our Google Corner as we leave you all with some Random Thoughts on the Week That was:  
  


Public Access Channels Threatened Under FCC Proposal, Advocates Say

Public Access Channels Threatened Under FCC Proposal, Advocates Say

DAVE NYCZEPIR  |   Proponents, however, argue changes are needed because localities charge licensing fees at the expense of cable companies' efforts to expand broadband access.

After Midterms, Democrats Now Hold a Majority of State AG Offices

LAURA MAGGI  |   "They've been very aggressive, banding together across state lines to challenge a variety of policies," one expert said about Democratic responses to the Trump administration.

Amazon Is Ready to Make Its HQ2 Picks Official

MICHAEL GRASS  |   STATE AND LOCAL ROUNDUP | California's deadliest wildfire on record … recession worries as Nevada's economy hums along … why Santa Fe really needs a city engineer … and more confirmed measles cases in Mich.


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Americans for Peace Now's New Settlement Map App
It is our pleasure at Peace Now to share with you that our sister organization in the United States, Americans for Peace Now, has just released its new and improved settlement map mobile application, Facts on the Ground. The app is a staple of our tours and is used by many of the journalists, public figures and diplomats who wish to quickly access Peace Now data when they are out in the field. We highly recommend you download this app and explore the wealth of information it features.



Facts on the Ground Map App

There are numerous reasons for the persistence of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, with rejection of Israel’s right to exist, denial of Jewish history, and Palestinian terrorism among the most devastating and pernicious.

But the 51-year-old occupation – which denies Palestinians their rights, corrodes Israeli society and democracy, and continually damages prospects for Israeli-Palestinian peace – is fundamentally anchored in the Israeli settlement enterprise in the West Bank. Settlements stand in the way of a two-state solution by preventing a viable, contiguous, independent state of Palestine, a purpose for which they were explicitly designed.

That’s why Americans for Peace Now is today releasing Facts on the Ground, a new, completely revamped and upgraded version of the groundbreaking settlements map app, available for free on iPhone and Android.
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With the help of Peace Now‘s Settlement Watch – the most authoritative, credible source on settlements – Facts on the Ground gives users the ability to track, explore, and gain a comprehensive understanding of the settlements. As a mobile app designed to be used by policymakers, diplomats, journalists, teachers, students, and anyone else interested in the Israeli settlement enterprise, Facts on the Ground is truly one-of-a-kind.

Originally released in 2010, APN’s Facts on the Ground was the first-ever interactive online map of West Bank settlements. The new version features up-to-date statistics and data, including individual “snapshots” of every settlement and outpost in the West Bank. The app includes informational video, a comprehensive glossary, and a new, expansive statistics section from Peace Now. Facts on the Ground also marks the re-launch of APN’s Settlements in Focus publication. New issues, each profiling
different West Bank settlements, will be featured on the app and available to all users.


 
Happy Thanksgiving Week from us to all of you and your loved ones...