Descent Into Barbarism: The US and NATO Wage War on the World 'The argument is won: capitalism as an effective system to organise society and provide for human needs has expired. The evidence is conclusive. Trillions of dollars to kickstart the economy in the US and Europe may have given an ephemeral lease of life to the financial class to spin the casino wheel once again, but it is more apparent by the day that the tentative “recovery” has spluttered to a standstill. Gridlocked by unprecedented levels of personal and national debts, the engine of production – the real economy – is in a state of rigor mortis. This collapse has been a long time in the making. Decades of easy credit was up to now a way for the ruling class – government, corporations, financial institutions – to let the majority of workers subsidise the chronic loss in their livelihoods, which have been drained since the mid-1970s by the oligarchy’s self-aggrandisement from wage cutting, regressive taxation and public spending cuts. The political class – whether liberal or conservative, right or left – have facilitated this giant wealth-siphoning process.' Court Quashes Student's Terrorism Conviction 'A British student, described by prosecutors as a "wannabe suicide bomber," had his main conviction for possessing terrorism-related materials quashed on Tuesday after spending nearly four years in custody. Mohammed Atif Siddique, 24, from central Scotland, had been jailed for eight years in 2007 for four offences under terrorism and breach of the peace laws, including distributing terrorist material via websites. On Tuesday, appeal court judges in Edinburgh formally overturned the most serious conviction against him, which accounted for six years of his term, the Press Association reported.' Police State USA: College Students Charged With Felony Crimes for Throwing Snowballs 'Felony snowball throwing charges have been leveled against two Virginia college students for allegedly pelting a city plow and an undercover police car during Saturday's blizzard. Charles Gill and Ryan Knight, both 21, were nabbed by cops in Harrisonburg, where they attend James Madison University. If convicted of the felonious snowball tossing, the men each face between one and five years in prison, and a maximum $2,500 fine.' India Puts on Hold First GM Food Crop on Safety Grounds 'Environment Minister Jairam Ramesh said more studies were needed to ensure genetically modified aubergines were safe for consumers and the environment. The GM vegetable has undergone field trials since 2008 and received approval from government scientists in 2009. But there has been a heated public row over the cultivation of the GM crop. The BBC's Geeta Pandey, who was at the news conference in Delhi, says Mr Ramesh's decision has put any cultivation of GM vegetables in India on hold indefinitely.'
Wednesday, 10 February 2010
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