Protests outside Olympic stadium against chemical sponsor

Activists are protesting outside the Olympic Stadium against Dow Chemical, one of the sponsors of the games. The protesters staged a "die-in" demanding compensation for those affected by the Bhopal disaster in 1984.

Five Olympic-sized gaffes ahead of London 2012

The games haven’t even officially started, but already we’ve seen a North Korea football team walk off a field before an early game because someone embarrassingly introduced the squad with the wrong flag.

With billions of people expected to watch London 2012 at some point during the 17-day event, organizers will hope many of the major troubles are behind them by the time Friday’s opening ceremony begins.

Here are five ways the run-up to these games wasn’t as smooth as organizers would have hoped:

1. Security contractor thousands of guards short 

2. Snubbed by a long-lost rock star 

 It’s embarrassing enough for Olympics organizers that The Who’s famed former drummer Keith Moon didn’t accept their invitation to play at the Games. Even worse is that the regrets had to come from the band’s manager. Because, you know, Moon has been dead for 34 years.

3. Tickets, please

4. That’s not our flag
The North Korean women’s football coach wasn’t impressed when he looked at the scoreboard and saw South Korea’s flag instead of his own country’s before the North’s first match Wednesday.

5. Disaster survivors, advocates protest Dow sponsorship

Advocates for victims of a fatal 1984 gas leak in India have criticized London 2012 officials for accepting Dow Chemicals as a major sponsor.

BP or not BP? Reclaiming Shakespeare from the sponsors

It was Sunday afternoon at the British Museum, and things seemed pretty normal. The new BP-sponsored Shakespeare exhibition had a steady flow of visitors, browsing through a series of artefacts linked to the Bard’s life and works. 

A few security guards kept an idle eye on the proceedings, but nothing seemed out of the ordinary.

Then the chanting began.

Double double, oil and trouble Tar sands burn and greenwash bubble 

 It started as a single, quiet voice, echoing around the final room in the exhibition – a brightly lit area dotted with display cabinets. Then more voices joined in, and more, until it became a rousing chorus, emanating from perhaps a dozen people scattered through the space.

As suddenly as it had begun, the chanting ceased – and three smartly dressed figures leapt, cackling, into the centre of the room, each wearing a cap with a bright green BP logo.

7-19-2012 COPWATCH Films NYPD Transit Cop Assaulting Youth Sunset Park

Catherine Brogan - Whose Games?

Auditors say billions likely wasted in Iraq work

Washington — After years of following the paper trail of $51 billion in U.S. taxpayer dollars provided to rebuild a broken Iraq, the U.S. government can say with certainty that too much was wasted. But it can’t say how much.

In what it called its final audit report, this week the Office of the Special Inspector General for Iraq Reconstruction Funds  spelled out a range of accounting weaknesses that put “billions of American taxpayer dollars at risk of waste and misappropriation” in the largest reconstruction project of its kind in U.S. history.

 “The precise amount lost to fraud and waste can never be known,” the report said.

 The auditors found huge problems accounting for the huge sums, but one small example of failure stood out: A contractor got away with charging $80 for a pipe fitting that its competitor was selling for $1.41. Why? The company’s billing documents were reviewed sloppily by U.S. contracting officers or were not reviewed at all.

See video here, interview with Paul Sheldon Foote, professor at California State University.

Toxic legacy of US assault on Fallujah 'worse than Hiroshima'

Dramatic increases in infant mortality, cancer and leukaemia in the Iraqi city of Fallujah, which was bombarded by US Marines in 2004, exceed those reported by survivors of the atomic bombs that were dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki in 1945, according to a new study.

US forces later admitted that they had employed white phosphorus as well as other munitions.

In the assault US commanders largely treated Fallujah as a free-fire zone to try to reduce casualties among their own troops. 

Dr Busby says that while he cannot identify the type of armaments used by the Marines, the extent of genetic damage suffered by inhabitants suggests the use of uranium in some form. He said: "My guess is that they used a new weapon against buildings to break through walls and kill those inside."

Guerilla Group Hijacks 30 UK Billboards, Pre-Olympics

Six artists, including Banksy collaborator Paul Insect, have postered their own work over existing outdoor campaigns to “challenge the destructive impacts of the advertising industry.”

The famous Wayne Rooney Nike ad gets nicely busted by Bill Posters with the addition of a Foot Locker shopping bag and a new tagline.
In Birmingham.

The group, Brandalism, says the strict enforcement of branding regulations for the London 2012 Olympics has been a strong part of provoking their reaction.

From the Brandalism website:

Installed over five days in one continuous road trip that has covered the length of the country, the Brandalism crew have hit 33 spots in 5 cities. Edited and developed on the fly, this project sees the culmination of 8 months work and we will be adding more content to the site after we get some serious sleep, updates will follow daily… 

 

US receives bids to drill in Gulf of Mexico - BP

The US government has offered up new areas of the central Gulf of Mexico for drilling for the first time since the 2010 BP oil disaster in the area and received $1.7bn in winning bids, officials have said.

"The government is gambling with the Gulf by encouraging even more offshore drilling in the same exceedingly deep waters that have already proven to be treacherous, rather than investing in safer clean energy that creates jobs without risking lives and livelihoods," said Jacqueline Savitz, vice president for North America at Oceana, one of five groups filing the suit.

"This move sets us up for another disastrous oil spill, threatening more human lives, livelihoods, industries and marine life, including endangered species, in the greedy rush to expand offshore drilling."

This is what happened before, see map linked here.

An explosion on the BP operated Deepwater Horizon oil rig killed eleven crew members on April 20, 2010, sparking the greatest environmental disaster in United States history.

In combination with the Texas City Refinery Explosion and the Prudohoe Bay Oil Spill, this marked the third serious incident involving BP in the United States in five years. 

Scientific estimates put the amount of oil that was being discharged from the broken well at above 1,470,000 US gallons per day! 

There are over 400 different species of animals living in the area affected by the spill. 464 sea turtles and 60 dolphins were found dead within the spill area (NOAA). 

BP operated oil skimmers and other cleanup tools to try to remove oil from the water and Louisiana began building oil containment berms to halt the spread of oil.

On July 15, 2010 BP sucesfully stopped the flow of oil from the wellhead, after spilling 190 million gallons of oil into the gulf over a period of 3 months.

MPs tell Barclays to stop fundraising for Mitt Romney

Barclays has privately distanced itself from its bankers' donations to Mitt Romney, the US Republican presidential candidate, after its executives were accused in parliament of fundraising for political candidates instead of working to rebuild the public's trust in the wake of the Libor-setting scandal.

Executives at Barclays have donated over $1m to Romney's presidential campaign and will hand over more money on Thursday night at an exclusive fundraising dinner in a secret Mayfair location, where tickets cost between $50,000 and $75,000.

A National Call to Shut Down Bain Capital on the Day Mitt Romney Accepts the Nomination

Mitt Romney co-founded Bain Capital. The corporation took part in many “hostile takeovers,” a practice that involves buying a company in order to simply lay off the workers, close the company and sell it for spare parts.

Bain Capital Companies:

 Outback Steakhouse
 Carrabba’s Italian Grill
 Bonefish Grill
 Fleming’s Prime Steakhouse & Wine Bar
 Roy’s Hawaiian Fusion Cuisine
 Burlington Coat Factory
 Clear Channel Communications
 Dunkin’ Donuts
 Baskin Robbins
 Gymboree
 Hospital Corporation of America
 Michael’s Craft Store
 Toys’R’Us
 Staples
 The Princeton Review
 Work ‘N Gear

InterOccupy Calls for coordination of this action begin August 12th!

Breaking news - Irelands Bankers being Arrested and Charged!

The former Chief Executive and Chairman of Anglo Irish Bank has appeared in court in Dublin charged in connection with financial irregularities at the bank.

Seán FitzPatrick was charged with 16 offences under Section 60 of the Companies Act.

He is accused of permitting Anglo Irish Bank to give financial assistance to Patricia Quinn, her five children and ten senior clients of the bank who became known as the 'Maple 10', to enable the 16 to buy shares in the bank.

He was granted bail to appear in court again on 8 October for service of the book of evidence.
Mr FitzPatrick was arrested by arrangement at 5.37am this morning after getting off a flight at Dublin Airport.

Raise the Minimum Wage

Tuesday, July 24th, marks the three-year anniversary of the last increase in the federal minimum wage.  

Since that last increase, prices of basic goods such as milk, gas, and college tuition have climbed steadily, but the federal minimum wage remains stuck at $7.25 an hour -- just over $15,000 a year for a full-time worker.

It’s time for Congress to act: Working families and our economy as a whole cannot afford another year of stagnant wages.  Let's raise the federal minimum wage and give workers and the economy the boost they need!


Sign the petition and know the facts.

New York police violated rights of Occupy protesters: report

(Reuters) - New York police officers employed excessive force, unjustified arrests and pervasive surveillance in violation of the rights of Occupy Wall Street protesters, a report from a group of human rights lawyers said on Wednesday.

 

The report documents 130 incidents of alleged abuse by law enforcement authorities and calls for the creation of an independent inspector general to monitor the New York Police Department.

"Many of the reported allegations individually indicate clear violations of the government's obligation to uphold assembly and expression rights," said the report by the Global Justice Clinic at New York University's School of Law and the Walter Leitner International Human Rights Clinic at Fordham Law School.

"When considered together, a complex mapping of protest suppression emerges."

Constant police surveillance of Occupy events in some cases appears to violate legal restrictions on police monitoring of protests, known as the "Handschu Guidelines" after the landmark case that led to their creation, the report said.

The intimidation and use of force served to escalate tensions while having a chilling effect on the right to free speech and assembly, the authors concluded.

London Olympics - The Other Side of the Story

Anaheim - Police Brutality - Gun Crime

Witnesses to the fatal police shooting of an unarmed man in Anaheim, California say officers offered to buy up cell phone footage of the brutality that followed. The circumstances of the shooting are currently under investigation.­

The mayor of Anaheim, California is asking for federal assistance in an investigation of the local police department after law enforcement officers shot and killed two men in separate incidents over the weekend.

Anaheim police have shot dead yet another man just a day after killing 24-year old Manuel Diaz. The previous day's shooting sparked a protest against police brutality that was violently broken up by authorities.

(Reuters) - Protesters broke windows of least a half-dozen storefronts in Anaheim on Tuesday and five people were arrested in the second major clash between police and demonstrators since an officer shot dead an apparently unarmed man.

 SANTA ANA (CBS) — Hundreds of police officers dressed in riot gear tried to control a large group of demonstrators outside Anaheim City Hall Tuesday evening.

Scattered crowds of protesters in Anaheim continued to roam the streets late Tuesday after violence erupted earlier around City Hall even as officials voted to ask federal authorities to investigate two deadly police shootings that have rocked the community.

 

 Shortly before 9 p.m. Tuesday, law enforcement officers in Anaheim issued a dispersal order to protesters at the intersection of Anaheim and Broadway.

Human fetuses dumped in forest aged at 5-6 months - Russia

Investigators say all 248 fetuses discovered in a Urals forest were likely intended for use in scientific research. Most were terminated after the fifth month of pregnancy.

According to police, forensic examinations showed most of the fetuses were terminated at 22-26 weeks of pregnancy. Initially, it was thought they were 12-16 weeks.

All the fetuses were mummified. Investigators continue to probe the origin of the fetuses, which were sealed in plastic containers and discarded in a remote location in the Sverdlovsk Region.

The prevailing theory is that the remains were being used in scientific research, but police emphasize that it is just one of several leads they are working around.

The late stage at which all 248 fetuses were terminated has forced some to believe they are dealing with a coordinated crime.

 Elena Mizulina, head of the State Duma Committee on issues of Family, Women and Children, believes this incident is a case of mass illegal abortions, which she says are rife in the country.

Sorry, it's not Occupy related but worth further coverage, please share.  These poor babies!!

15 Deadliest Corporations

These corporations, if they were individual human beings, would be locked up for life. Instead, they continue raking in the big bucks. 

Human rights abuses, murder, war, eco disasters, and animal exploitation keep these evil companies raking in the green.

Prepare to be disgusted. 

1. Chevron
2. DeBeers
3. Tyson

4. Smith and Wesson
5. Phillip Morris
6. Haliburton
7. Coca Cola
8. Pfizer
9. ExxonMobil
10. Caterpillar Company
11. Ringling Brothers and Barnum and Bailey
12. Monsanto
13. Nestle
14. British Petroleum
15. Dyncorp

US burning money in Afghanistan

Video and transcript here.

The US government office of SIGIR has stated that much of the 20 billion dollars of US taxpayer money provided to rebuild Iraq is wasted through corruption and fraud.


SIGIR is the acronym for the Office of the Special Inspector General for Iraq reconstruction. Set up in 2004, 51 billion US dollars was approved by Congress and this includes 20 billion US dollars allocated to building Iraqi Security Forces and about 20 billion US dollars also allocated for rebuilding basic infrastructure.

The POLL TAX is back from the dead – it's Cameron localism

 By Polly Toynbee

Here's the background: on average, households pay £1,000 a year in council tax. Until now, households on low incomes were exempt or paid only according to their means, so 5.9m households received council tax benefit. 

From next April, the benefit is cut by 10%, which is bad enough; but then insanity takes over.

Each local authority will be given the sum that was handed out in benefit in their area (less 10%) to disperse as they please.

They must keep paying the full benefit to pensioners and "the vulnerable". Each council must choose who is "vulnerable", as the government refuses to provide its own definition.

Half of the recipients are pensioners, so protecting them means all other low-income households bear the whole cut, averaging 20%.

People who live in areas with a lot of pensioners or a lot of the "vulnerable" will suffer the biggest cuts, as much as 30% or more. The Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS) says low-income households in Haringey, north London, lose £38 a year.

300 councils must each devise their own criteria. 

Each becomes a mini DWP, establishing its own means test without having access to people's earnings. Each must divide its benefit pot between varying numbers of claimants each year. 

Miserly authorities can keep much of it for other purposes. 

Each decides who is "vulnerable" or whether to include disability living allowance, child benefit or personal savings in declaring who is eligible for how much.