Not all Americans are me-first morons - We actually have heroes

http://www.tarsandsaction.org/

NASA’s James Hansen Arrested at Tar Sands Pipeline Protest | ThinkProgress: "James Hansen was arrested on Monday, Aug. 29, on day 10 of the anti-Keystone XL pipeline protests at the White House. In total, 521 participants have been arrested. Credit: Tar Sands Action"

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Zipcar looks to change transportation | The News Journal | delawareonline.com

Zipcar looks to change transportation | The News Journal | delawareonline.com: "The single-occupant vehicle driving around the city looking for parking spaces is just a broken model."

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Man's Greatest Mistake

Man's Greatest Mistake: "It is an issue that cuts across many aspects of modern society, it costs billions, it kills millions and maims millions more, it is a key factor behind the obesity epidemic, it criminalises hundreds of thousands of UK citizens, it eats up vast tracts of land, it is an anti-social menace that blights communities, particularly poorer communities, and it is deeply socially divisive. It is so resource hungry that it pushes up the price of food and other world commodities, it even causes developed nations to go to war."

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Oil-industry death grip is killing the U.S. economy

These are the people the city is currently neglecting, and your action will make it worse. These are the people we are now neglecting because public transit is not running when our citizens, who service customers for minimum wage, need it most.


Poverty is growing. Transportation is shrinking.

ColumbiaMissourian

Why Libya is different

Daily Kos: NATO's Game Plan in Libya: But the case of Libya in different. Because of the peculiar nature of Qaddafi's "green revolution", because military-to-military relations between Libya and the US are only a few years old, and for a host of other reasons, the imperialists have no ready-made fall-back position in Libya should Qaddafi go. That is why the contradiction has become so sharp in Libya. That is why Libya became the first country in the string of revolts in which military power was used to put down the rebellion. In the beginning there were no strong sanctions against Qaddafi for using what was an unprecedented level of violence, such as war planes, against mass protests. The imperialist were secretly happy that someone was trying to staunch the fall of dictators with massive violence. Although they had made millions selling Qaddafi precisely the weapons he was using, like the cluster munitions from Spain, they were glad that the massive violence was being tried by someone they were not generally publicly associated with.

Growth is death

As the dream of economic growth dies, a new plan awaits testing | George Monbiot | Comment is free | The Guardian: To sustain the illusion, we have inflicted more damage since 1950 to the planet's living systems than we achieved in the preceding 100,000 years. The damage will last for centuries; the benefits might not see out the year. Ireland, again, points a withered finger at the future. Among other iniquities, the government forced a motorway through the Gabhra Valley, part of a site – the Hill of Tara complex – comparable in its importance to Stonehenge. It was both an act of wilful vandalism and a notice of intent: no consideration would impede the economic miracle. The road hadn't opened before the miracle collapsed.

US/UK/EU fear that democracy might bloom as they dump their oil-puppet in the garden

The brave people of Libya are about to depose a big-power oil-puppet. The US/UK/EU will have the upper hand in "guiding" the new government, having invested millions in the clean-up of their own mess. They will talk a lot about the danger of "anarchy." (democracy and independence). The western governments are controlled by fossil-fuels and have put all their eggs in that basket. An independent Libya will control its oil. Loss of access to even this small amount of oil could tip the balance and throw the US economy into a death spiral, further weakening the western alliance.

Large Anti-Gaddafi Protests Erupt in Tripoli - TIME: (TRIPOLI, Libya) — Anti-regime protests erupted Sunday in several Tripoli neighborhoods where thousands braved the bullets of snipers perched atop high buildings, residents and opposition fighters said. At the same time, hundreds of rebel forces advanced to within 15 miles west of the capital and were rushing forward in pickup trucks and on foot.

Stop the #Tarsands

Tar Sands Action/ Josh Fox from JFOX on Vimeo.

http://www.tarsandsaction.org/

Free Transit - Red states are lovin' it

Germanna students, employees now can get free FRED rides - Transportation: "Germanna Community College has joined forces with FREDericksburg Regional Transit to provide free rides on any regular route for its students and employees."

How does the private auto hate us? Let us count the ways...

20 million deaths from road accidents in 15 years, for example; that’s more than were killed in World War One. And don’t forget the 200 million people seriously injured. The majority of them our children and youngsters. It is a truly, truly horrific mass slaughter. And entirely avoidable.

Or our lost sense of community; the constant noise and the danger from cars stops kids playing and parents chatting. Cars physically prevent communication between people. They are by far the most conspicuous symbol of wealth and so are deeply divisive.

... read more at http://www.mansgreatestmistake.com/the-true-cost-of-cars/are-cars-really-our-greatest-mistake

Persuading people to ride bikes?

Persuading people to ride bicycles or be pedestrians without addressing the private auto is like asking people to swim in the ocean with sharks. Some things are not compatible. Do we want more cyclist memorials? More cases like Raquel Nelson?

Bicycles. Really?

#movingplanet has a great video about what is wrong with human transport. Their proposed solution? bikes, jogging, walking. Um.... not. Only fare-free buses can break the critical mass of the #autosprawl system. Is this movement serious? or is it another #phonysolution.

Green Party of Manitoba - "no down sides to fare-free bus service"

Green Policy Asks: To Make Public Transportation Fare Free! | Green Party of Manitoba: "“Everyone who chooses to ride the buses will immediately find more money in their pockets to spend in the local economy, and at the same time they will be doing their part to lower our impact on this planet.” said Beddome.
“Even those that choose to continue driving & bicycling will benefit through smoother commutes and less stress from traffic congestion,” he said.
“Literally everyone wins! There are just no discernible down sides to a Fare Free Bus service in Winnipeg, Brandon, or any other Manitoba community for that matter,' added Beddome."

Capitalism is a trickle-up system

Meet the Global Financial Elites Controlling $46 Trillion In Wealth | | AlterNet: "In total, US millionaire households have at least $45.9 trillion in wealth, the majority of this wealth is held within the upper one-tenth of one percent of the population."

Oil industry tightens its grip on US government

Super Congress stacked with climate zombies | Grist: "Even with the three House Democrats left to be named, seven of the 12-member committee are known to be climate zombies. Every Republican on the so-called Super Congress, as well as Sen. Max Baucus (D-Mont.), have voted to reverse the Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) work to limit greenhouse-gas pollution. Most of the Republicans named to the committee are proud torchbearers of global warming denial:"

Subsidized private auto system crushes poor people

Mass Transit Is Good For Poor People | ThinkProgress: "According to the report, the average cost of owning a car is just shy of $9,500. That may not sound like much until you realize the federal poverty level is $22,350 for a family of four. One-third of low-income African-American households do not have access to an automobile. That figure is 25 percent among low-income Latino families and 12.1 percent for whites. Racial minorities are four times more likely than whites to use public transit to get to work.
Yet the federal government allocates 80 percent of its transportation funding to highways."

How much lead is needed for the electric car?

Wind + Solar = A Cubic Mile of Lead - Death by Car: "How much lead would it take to build enough lead-acid batteries to enable construction of an all-wind-and-solar electrical grid to power the present energy use of the United States?"

Oil industry tightens its grip on the U.S.

Debt Be Not Proud: Lame Deal Cements Cement Shoes on Energy and Climate Investment for Foreseeable Future | ThinkProgress: "We not only have no policy to prevent catastrophic climate change, our “leaders” have stopped talking about the problem and the House is trying to stop anyone from even planning for it."