The Free

Deal for Yasuni Paradise Lost due to Euro Greed

Morning mist floats above the Tiputini River in Yasuní National Park, Ecuador. Photograph by Tim Laman, National Geographic with thanks — Morning mist floats above the Tiputini River in Yasuní National Park, Ecuador.
Photo from Tim Laman, National Geographic +with thanks+

In 2010 Ecuador made the world an offer it couldn’t — or at least, shouldn’t have been able to — refuse. For the measly price of $3.6bn, it promised not to exploit the Ishpingo-Tiputini-Tambococha oil block in the Yasuni national park, a 675 square mile patch of pristine Amazon rainforest that is home to barely contacted indigenous tribes, thousands of species of trees and nearly 1bn barrels of crude oil. Continue reading “Deal for Yasuni Paradise Lost due to Euro Greed”

Manning shames her Tormentors, vows to Live as a Woman

…”sometimes you have to pay a heavy price to live in a free society…”

Chelsea (ex-Bradley) Manning’s post-sentence statement, issued by his lawyer, was the kind of statement you would expect to be given by a Nobel Peace Prize recipient in their acceptance speech. It is both unequivocal and profound. …

That Manning issues such a statement on the day he is sentenced to 35 years in prison is testimony to his resilience, his courage and his love. In doing so, the politicians of this world must surely cower in shame. If President Obama has any integrity left, he must pardon immediately this noble individual. Below, we reproduce it with one difference: we have added hyperlinks, where relevant, to provide greater perspective…. Continue reading “Manning shames her Tormentors, vows to Live as a Woman”

Why dolphins refuse to fight back?

These top predators could do some serious damage to humans but time and again they refrain, even when being tortured to death with their families.

Laura Bridgeman takes a look at the scientific evidence that may explain why dolphins have such a benevolent nature when it comes to interactions with humans…….. Continue reading “Why dolphins refuse to fight back?”

BBC censors the Smashing of Guardian’s Hard Drives

Today 20th August I can find no mention in the BBC online that their sister media outlet The Guardian was forced by police to destroy hard drives with leaked info of US security crimes, in their basement yesterday. Incredible but I just spent half an hour searching, check yourself!. ah, but of course, the BBC is controlled by the British Government. A story that is second most popular in the Washington Post ISN’T WORTH REPORTING the next day in the BBC. Is this pre-nazi Germany or what?!

Continue reading “BBC censors the Smashing of Guardian’s Hard Drives”

Zapatista Freedom School. Day 4 and 5

More than 1500 invited students are in the Lacandonan Jungle taking part in the Zapatista Freedom school last week. The school has also gone online also with registered studemts participating by teleconference around the world. Due to demand new courses are planned for Dec and Jan.