Housing as a financial commodity

<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUAjnUUeqwKHwakE_sdCTz3BQOje1CwM82z5Aoqpo52bLyWN_mMPCrRzcV9ekKe6VxBTLYDW1rlYxM7nfkSx4zaiOTTB3vUfQZJWwLkXgSfBGYOD71F1ctWa1pUgJZMyH6gK6dd-CYLE5P/s1600/ownership.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="392" data-original-width="493" height="508" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUAjnUUeqwKHwakE_sdCTz3BQOje1CwM82z5Aoqpo52bLyWN_mMPCrRzcV9ekKe6VxBTLYDW1rlYxM7nfkSx4zaiOTTB3vUfQZJWwLkXgSfBGYOD71F1ctWa1pUgJZMyH6gK6dd-CYLE5P/s640/ownership.JPG" width="640" /></a></div> <i><br /></i> <i>You no longer own your home. </i><br /> <i>Think about it very carefully.</i><br /> <i>It is all owned by the government and/or corporations (one and the same)</i><br /> <br /> Housing, long accepted as a basic need and a human right, has now been transformed into a financial commodity with its value dependent on the vagaries of the market. In highlighting how the process of financialisation has become an impediment to the realisation of this right, the UN Special Rapporteur on the right to adequate housing has in her recent report suggested some remedial measures.<br /> <br /> by Kanaga Raja<br /> <br /> The “financialisation” of housing is one of the greatest challenges to the right to adequate housing, with housing now being valued as a commodity rather than a human dwelling, a United Nations rights expert has charged.<br /> <br /> This admonishment came in a report by the UN Special Rapporteur on the right to adequate housing, Leilani Farha, which was presented to the UN Human Rights Council on 1 March.<br /> <br /> The Human Rights Council held its 34th regular session in Geneva from February 27 to March 24.<br /> <br /> At a media briefing on March 2, Farha said the housing sector has been transformed by global financial actors and unprecedented amounts of excess capital. “It is no longer as we once knew it. Housing has been financialised: valued as a commodity, rather than a human dwelling, it has become for investors a means to secure and accumulate wealth rather than a place to live in dignity, to raise a family, and thrive within a community.”<br /> <br /> “Housing has lost its currency as a human right,” she said, noting that the amount of capital now being invested in housing is staggering. Global residential real estate is valued at US$163 trillion, more than twice the world’s total gross domestic product (GDP). “Imagine if that capacity was harnessed for the realisation of housing instead of for speculation and profit.”<br /> <br /> The impact of the commodification of housing and commodified housing markets is devastating, Farha added. Informal settlements are being razed to create space for luxury developments, communities are becoming devoid of human life as houses sit empty – mere vehicles for capital gain – and extreme unaffordability is pushing low- and moderate-income people out of city centres – all in the name of investment.<br /> <br /> “Financialisation has robbed housing of its function as a social good. In financialised housing markets, housing is no longer ‘people-driven’. Decisions about housing – its use, its cost, where it will be built or whether it will be demolished – are made from remote boardrooms with little if any consideration of the outcome,” she said.<br /> <br /> In her report to the Human Rights Council, the rights expert referred to the financialisation of housing as structural changes in housing and financial markets and global investment whereby housing is treated as a commodity, a means of accumulating wealth and often as security for financial instruments that are traded and sold on global markets.<br /> <br /> It refers to the way capital investment in housing increasingly disconnects housing from its social function of providing a place to live in security and dignity, and hence undermines the realisation of housing as a human right.<br /> <br /> “It refers to the way housing and financial markets are oblivious to people and communities, and the role housing plays in their well-being.”<br /> <br /> The report noted that housing and real estate markets have been transformed by corporate finance, including banks, insurance and pension funds, hedge funds, private equity firms and other kinds of financial intermediaries with massive amounts of capital and excess liquidity. The global financial system has grown exponentially and now far outstrips the so-called real “productive” economy in terms of sheer volumes of wealth, with housing accounting for much of that growth.<br /> <br /> “Housing and commercial real estate have become the ‘commodity of choice’ for corporate finance and the pace at which financial corporations and funds are taking over housing and real estate in many cities is staggering.”<br /> <br /> The value of global real estate is about US$217 trillion, nearly 60% of the value of all global assets, with residential real estate comprising 75% of the total. In the course of one year, from mid-2013 to mid-2014, corporate buying of larger properties in the top 100 recipient global cities rose from US$600 billion to US$1 trillion.<br /> <br /> Global investment<br /> <br /> “Housing is at the centre of an historic structural transformation in global investment and the economies of the industrialised world with profound consequences for those in need of adequate housing,” said Farha.<br /> <br /> In “hedge cities”, prime destinations for global capital seeking safe havens for investments, housing prices have increased to levels that most residents cannot afford, creating huge increases in wealth for property owners in prime locations while excluding moderate- and low-income households from access to home ownership or rentals due to unaffordability. Those households are pushed to peri-urban areas with scant employment and services.<br /> <br /> Elsewhere, financialisation is linked to expanded credit and debt taken on by individual households made vulnerable to predatory lending practices and the volatility of markets.<br /> <br /> According to the Special Rapporteur, financialised housing markets have caused displacement and evictions at an unparalleled scale: in the United States over the course of five years, over 13 million foreclosures resulted in more than nine million households being evicted. In Spain, more than half a million foreclosures between 2008 and 2013 resulted in over 300,000 evictions. There were almost one million foreclosures between 2009 and 2012 in Hungary.<br /> <br /> “In many countries in the global South, where the majority of households are unlikely to have access to formal credit, the impact of financialisation is experienced differently, but with a common theme – the subversion of housing and land as social goods in favour of their value as commodities for the accumulation of wealth, resulting in widespread evictions and displacement. Informal settlements are frequently replaced by luxury residential and high-end commercial real estate.”<br /> <br /> According to the rights expert, millions of foreclosures, evictions and displacements and more than a billion people living in grossly inadequate housing conditions and homelessness worldwide signal, among other things, the failure of states and of the international community to manage the interaction between financial actors and housing systems in accordance with the right to adequate housing.<br /> <br /> Impact of financialisation<br /> <br /> According to the report, the financialisation of housing has its origins in neoliberalism, the deregulation of housing markets, and structural adjustment programs imposed by financial institutions and agreed to by states. It is also tied to the internationalisation of trade and investment agreements which make states’ housing policies accountable to investors rather than to human rights.<br /> <br /> The financialisation of housing is also the result of significant changes in the way credit was provided for housing and, more specifically, of the advent of “mortgage-backed securities”.<br /> <br /> The 2008 global financial crisis revealed the fragility, volatility and predatory nature of financialised housing markets and the potential for catastrophic outcomes both for individual households and for the global economy. In the United States, there were an average of 10,000 foreclosures per day in 2008, and as many as 35 million individuals were affected by evictions over a five-year period.<br /> <br /> “Many expected that the global financial crisis and its impact on the human rights of millions of households would act as an alarm bell, forcing States and international financial institutions to reassess the value of unbridled financialisation and introduce reforms to ensure that the financial system addressed rather than exploited the housing needs of low-income households,” said Farha.<br /> <br /> It seemed to have the opposite effect. Individuals and families who were affected by the crisis were often blamed for taking on too much debt, and new rules and regulations were put in place to restrict their access to mortgages. Austerity measures cut programs on which they had relied for access to housing options, and the march towards the financialisation of housing continued.<br /> <br /> States have continued to focus on attracting capital and wealthy investors with reduced taxes and other benefits. Countries like Cyprus, Greece, Portugal and Spain, where harsh austerity measures have been implemented, have enacted policies to entice foreign investors into their domestic markets.<br /> <br /> “Great Wall of Money”<br /> <br /> The report said the amount of money involved in the purchase of housing and real estate is almost impossible to digest. Cushman and Wakefield, an American global real estate services firm engaging in US$90 billion worth of real estate sales per year, publishes an annual report entitled “The Great Wall of Money” which includes a calculation of the amount of capital raised each year for trans-border real estate investments. The total in 2015 was a record US$443 billion, with residential properties representing the largest single share.<br /> <br /> “Housing and urban real estate have become the commodity of choice for corporate finance, a ‘safety deposit box’ for the wealthy, a repository of capital and excess liquidity from emerging markets and a convenient place for shell companies to stash their money with very little transparency.”<br /> <br /> Housing prices in so-called “hedge cities” like Hong Kong, London, Munich, Stockholm, Sydney and Vancouver have all increased by over 50 percent since 2011, creating vast amounts of increased assets for the wealthy while making housing unaffordable for most households not already invested in the market.<br /> <br /> Corporate finance not only profits from inflated prices in hedge cities, it also profits from housing crises. The global financial crisis created unprecedented opportunities for buying distressed housing and real estate debt, which was sold off at firesale prices in countries such as Ireland, Spain, the United Kingdom and the United States.<br /> <br /> The Blackstone Group, the world’s largest real estate private equity firm, managing US$102 billion worth of property, spent US$10 billion to purchase repossessed properties in the United States at courthouses and in online auctions following the 2008 financial crisis, emerging as the largest rental landlord in the country. Other major institutional players invested US$20 billion to purchase approximately 200,000 single-family homes in the United States between 2012 and mid-2013.<br /> <br /> “What is so stark about the pouring of those vast amounts of money into housing is that hardly any of it is directed towards ameliorating the insufferable housing conditions in which millions live,” the rights expert noted.<br /> <br /> If even a portion of those amounts was directed towards affordable housing and access to credit for people in need of it, target 11.1 of the Sustainable Development Goals, to ensure adequate housing for all by 2030, would be well within reach.<br /> <br /> The market rules<br /> <br /> Financialisation under current regimes, however, creates the opposite effect: unaccountable markets that do not respond to housing need, and urban centres that become the sole preserve of those with wealth.<br /> <br /> According to Farha, financialised housing markets respond to preferences of global investors rather than to the needs of communities. “The average income of households in the community or the kinds of housing they would like to inhabit is of little concern to financial investors, who cater to the needs or desires of speculative markets and are likely to replace affordable housing that is needed with luxury housing that sits vacant because that is how best to turn a profit quickly.”<br /> <br /> The report noted that more than 36,000 properties in London are held by shell companies registered in offshore havens such as Bermuda, the British Virgin Islands, the Isle of Man and Jersey. “Many residential rental properties are now owned by bondholders or holders of public stock with no direct connection to properties. It is difficult to know who is accountable for human rights when the owner of housing is a multi-billion dollar fund, bondholders, public stockholders or a nameless corporate shell.”<br /> <br /> The report said that increased prices of housing and real estate assets have become key drivers in the creation of greater wealth inequality. Those who own property in prime urban locations have become richer, while lower-income households confronting the escalating costs of housing become poorer.<br /> <br /> “Patterns of inequality are often starkest in developing countries. In Africa, if current trends continue, the number of households living in informal settlements will continue to increase while the number of ultra-high-net-worth individuals is predicted to rise by almost 50 percent in the next decade.”<br /> <br /> The financialisation of housing has dramatically altered the relationship of states to the housing sector and to those to whom they have human rights obligations. Rather than being held accountable to residents and their need for housing, states’ housing policies have often become accountable to financial institutions and seem to pander to the confidence of global credit markets and the preferences of wealthy private investors.<br /> <br /> “Given the predominance of housing-related credit in many economies, domestic housing policy becomes inter-twined with the priorities and strategies of central banks and international financial institutions, which are themselves rarely held accountable to States’ human rights obligations to ensure access to adequate housing and do not meaningfully engage with rights-holders.”<br /> <br /> Accountability to global finance rather than to human rights has been rigorously imposed by the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and other creditors when governments have faced foreign debt crises. Decisions made by central banks and finance ministers in consultation with international financial institutions are rarely informed by input from stakeholders or those involved with housing policy and programs.<br /> <br /> Austerity measures<br /> <br /> In circumstances where governments should be relying on positive measures and resource allocation to provide housing to households affected by economic downturns and widespread unemployment, many have been held accountable to austerity measures imposed by creditors. They have agreed to dramatically reduce or eliminate housing programs, privatise social housing and sell off massive amounts of housing and real estate assets to private equity funds.<br /> <br /> In many developing and emerging economies, said the report, the World Bank and other international and regional financial institutions continue to actively promote the financialisation of housing as the dominant strategy for addressing the critical need for housing, despite evidence that such strategies fail to provide housing options to the households that are most in need and lead to greater socioeconomic inequality.<br /> <br /> The report further pointed out that there are currently almost 2,500 bilateral investment treaties in force and almost 300 treaties with investment provisions. Provisions in investment treaties generally provide protection for investors from actions by states without imposing obligations on them to uphold human rights.<br /> <br /> Investors are guaranteed fair and equitable treatment, protection from direct or indirect expropriation, and other protections, and have access to an investor-state dispute settlement procedure to seek damages for breaches of those provisions.<br /> <br /> Claims have recently been brought against the Dominican Republic and Panama, for example, on the basis that government decisions to cancel planned luxury developments in order to protect Indigenous territories or environmental resources violated investors’ rights under bilateral investment treaties.<br /> <br /> The government of Mauritius is currently being taken to arbitration by a group of property development companies from the United Kingdom that invested in luxury real estate developments in Mauritius and are now seeking damages for a decision on the part of the government to change its planning policy to restrict such developments.<br /> <br /> “The mere threat of those kinds of claims can have a directive effect on State housing policy. Investment treaty arbitration frequently involves millions of dollars in damages, and thus acts as a disincentive for States to enact and enforce any regulatory measures restricting the profitability of housing or real estate assets purchased by foreign investors,” said Farha.<br /> <br /> In some instances, courts have played an important role in holding financial institutions liable for predatory and discriminatory lending practices, albeit without reference to international human rights obligations. In a recent case, the Eleventh Circuit Court of Appeals in the United States ruled in favour of a lawsuit brought by the city of Miami against Bank of America and Wells Fargo for discriminatory predatory lending practices linked to the mortgage crisis.<br /> <br /> “Policy responses to the financialisation of housing have tended to prioritise support for financial institutions over responding to the needs of those whose right to adequate housing is at stake. Spending on bailouts of banks and financial institutions after the 2008 financial crisis far outstripped spending to provide assistance to the victims of the crisis.”<br /> <br /> Nonetheless, a number of sub-national and national governments have started to address the effects of excess capital flows and financialisation on affordability and access to housing for low-income households. Initiatives have been advanced at both national and sub-national levels providing a number of tools that can at least curb the excesses of financialisation and mitigate its effects.<br /> <br /> The report cited the fact that a number of states, including Austria, China, the Philippines, Thailand and Vietnam, have instituted restrictions on foreign purchasers of residential real estate.<br /> <br /> Conclusions<br /> <br /> “What is lacking is for States to reclaim the governance of housing systems from global credit markets and, in collaboration with affected communities and with cooperation and engagement by central banks and financial institutions, redesign housing finance and global investment in housing around the goal of ensuring access to adequate housing for all by 2030,” said the rights expert.<br /> <br /> Many states have been too deferential to the dynamics of unregulated markets and have failed to take appropriate action to bring private investment into line with the right to adequate housing. By providing tax subsidies for home ownership, tax breaks for investors, and bailouts for banks and financial institutions, states have subsidised the excessive financialisation of housing at the expense of programs for those in desperate need of housing.<br /> <br /> “There seems to be a gross imbalance between the attention, mechanisms and resources that States have developed to support the financialisation of housing and the complete deficit of housing for the implementation of the right to adequate housing.”<br /> <br /> The Special Rapporteur suggested that the way forward requires a shift to take hold so that states ensure that all investment in housing recognises its social function and states’ human rights obligations in that regard. That requires a transformation of the relationship between the state and the financial sector, whereby human rights implementation becomes the overriding goal, not a subsidiary or neglected obligation.<br /> <br /> The Special Rapporteur believes that can be achieved with more constructive engagement and dialogue between states, human rights actors, international and domestic financial regulatory bodies, private equity firms and major investors.<br /> <br /> The rights expert recommended, amongst others, that an international high-level meeting of states, international financial institutions, human rights bodies, civil society organisations and relevant experts be organised to design a strategy for engaging financial regulatory bodies and actors in the realisation of the goal of adequate housing for all by 2030.<br /> <br /> Third World Resurgence - <a href="http://www.twn.my/" target="_blank">http://www.twn.my</a><br /> <div> <br /></div> </div>

Housing as a financial commodity

You no longer own your home.  Think about it very carefully. It is all owned by the government and/or corporations (one and the same) ...

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How multinational companies keep avoiding the threat of regulation (Human Rights)

<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggBgQJoZwbZzrP3qVp4hVV5TbaSTIFpFgwgzcPbAcPJv59WcUFWCIRtnseawS3JCbLwWhFOIEevObtJp8P9-wJFuvvxY3oecAOJOsIc1acWczIi78i4lCCqUaKsueYcUFABx-1Ut58GPAT/s1600/child-labour.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="257" data-original-width="722" height="226" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggBgQJoZwbZzrP3qVp4hVV5TbaSTIFpFgwgzcPbAcPJv59WcUFWCIRtnseawS3JCbLwWhFOIEevObtJp8P9-wJFuvvxY3oecAOJOsIc1acWczIi78i4lCCqUaKsueYcUFABx-1Ut58GPAT/s640/child-labour.JPG" width="640" /></a></div> <br /> For nearly 40 years, all attempts at the United Nation to draft a legally binding document to address human rights violations by transnational corporations have floundered.  Flor Gonzalez Correa comments.<br /> <br /> BOLIVIA, Cuba, Ecuador, South Africa and Venezuela proposed a treaty to regulate transnational corporations last year. You'd be forgiven for feeling a sense of d‚j… vu. It has been a long and complicated road to tightening the leash on the giant global corporations which can dominate our lives. The United Nations has had it on the agenda for around 40 years.<br /> <br /> The first attempt, the Draft Code of Conduct on Transnational Corporations, was never finalised due to disagreement between developing and developed countries. The second attempt, the draft Norms on the Responsibilities of Transnational Corporations and Other Business Enterprises with Regard to Human Rights (it is fertile ground for catchy titles), was also too divisive.<br /> <br /> When the norms were presented for approval in 2004, they received a fatal blow: the UN Commission on Human Rights said that it had never requested such a document and that the norms had 'no legal standing'.<br /> <br /> Norms are dead, long live principles<br /> <br /> Shortly after, the Human Rights Commission appointed Harvard professor John Ruggie to write a replacement for the norms. After several years of consultations, he produced the Protect, Respect and Remedy Framework for Business and Human Rights and followed it up in 2011 with the Guiding Principles for its implementation. These require business to respect human rights and hand states the responsibility of protecting them and providing access to effective remedy when they are violated.<br /> <br /> The UN Human Rights Council unanimously endorsed both documents and, in contrast to previous efforts, the business community received them relatively enthusiastically. However, some prominent human rights organisations were less optimistic and continued to push for the creation of a binding treaty.<br /> <br /> But let's be clear here. Neither Ruggie's principles nor a treaty on business and human rights will fix corporate misbehaviour.<br /> <br /> Principles vs treaty<br /> <br /> According to the guiding principles, the state has the responsibility to create and enforce national regulations to protect the human rights of its citizens against corporate abuses. That all sounds very good, but we have to remember that states are not always willing or able to create and enforce such regulations.<br /> <br /> To be fair, Ruggie's documents were intended to be an interpretation of existing international human rights instruments, codes of conduct and best practices. They were not aimed at creating new regulations or filling any legal gaps. That is why a treaty could be useful: to create new regulations to cope with current challenges.<br /> <br /> The treaty route, however, also depends on the will of states. To be of any use, a treaty on transnational corporations should have to count with the support of most states, especially those that are home to the majority of these companies. So far, most of them have refused to even entertain the idea of a treaty. Fourteen countries, including France, Germany, Japan, the UK and the US, voted against Ecuador's resolution and another 13 abstained.<br /> <br /> At the moment, the only thing we have is a resolution that asks for an open-ended working group on a legally binding document. We don't even know what this treaty would look like, but many states - and business groups - are not interested in finding out and insist on building upon the guiding principles, which you suspect they are aware can only take us so far.<br /> <br /> The principles certainly have political and diplomatic merit. They made explicit the human rights responsibilities of corporations and by securing the approval of the business community, they have made it much harder for at least the largest and most visible companies to claim ignorance when human rights are violated along their supply chains. They also serve as a tool for non-governmental organisations (NGOs) to demand governments to hold companies accountable and to denounce any behaviour that goes against the principles.<br /> <br /> Business links<br /> <br /> However, the fact that these are non-legally binding agreements creates an ever-present risk that signatories could back off with few consequences beyond a bruised public image.<br /> <br /> A treaty, if supported by most states, could force companies and states to put human rights considerations above monetary profits and could help clarify what needs to be done when a state is unwilling or unable to create and enforce norms to regulate corporate behaviour.<br /> <br /> In truth, what we are likely to see in the near future is the same story we have witnessed for 40 years. Business keeps opposing any prospect of binding international rules, however necessary. We cannot expect a credible commitment to better rules if the governments who are supposed to create and enforce them have such a close relationship with the business sector.<br /> <br /> As long as countries place the economic interests of their companies well before human rights, then efforts like that proposed by Bolivia, Cuba, Ecuador, South Africa and Venezuela will continue to be overshadowed.<br /> <br /> Flor Gonzalez Correa is a Teaching Associate in Sociology and Public Policy at Aston University in the UK. This article is reproduced from TheConversation.com under a Creative Commons licence.<br /> <br /> Source:<br /> <a href="http://www.twn.my/title2/resurgence/2015/295/human1.htm" target="_blank">http://www.twn.my/title2/resurgence/2015/295/human1.htm</a><br /> <br /></div>

How multinational companies keep avoiding the threat of regulation (Human Rights)

For nearly 40 years, all attempts at the United Nation to draft a legally binding document to address human rights violations by transna...

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Genetic engineering a danger to life on the planet not just Humans

<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZYGy-eHqdVAx4tUQHUFFt5JPNbno80QBj3wek0dx0XRc2HVfUVeWq5TFMBXtdhZxNUMcedu8CPc-D_C7DPCyCuSwhwRitH95hyphenhyphenM_qC6fmnrk-daHMl0qyhgtFf4nxSqGKziWPKeWNBG-6/s1600/genetic-engineering.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="345" data-original-width="720" height="306" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZYGy-eHqdVAx4tUQHUFFt5JPNbno80QBj3wek0dx0XRc2HVfUVeWq5TFMBXtdhZxNUMcedu8CPc-D_C7DPCyCuSwhwRitH95hyphenhyphenM_qC6fmnrk-daHMl0qyhgtFf4nxSqGKziWPKeWNBG-6/s640/genetic-engineering.JPG" width="640" /></a></div> <br /> Do you give much thought to bio-security? Or how to safely manage the outputs of industrial innovation? Well, perhaps you should. As Jonathan R Latham, PhD, co-founder and executive director of the US Bioscience Resource Project, has noted, “novel products incorporating nanotechnology, biotechnology, rare metals, microwaves, novel chemicals, and more, enter the market on a daily basis. Yet none of these products come with an adequate data set of scientific information.” Latham is the publisher of Independent Science News (independentsciencenews.org). He has published scientific papers in disciplines as diverse as plant ecology, virology, and genetics.<br /> <br /> “We expose our world to unique hazards with every product launch. In comparison with its tremendous importance, this is surely one of the least discussed issues of our day,” he says. “How will the product be disposed of? What populations and which ecosystems will be exposed in the course of its advertised uses? What will be the consequences of accidental, off-label or illegal uses? ... Each product of the chemical and biotech industries has a close to infinite list of potential negative outcomes.”<br /> <br /> The overriding concern of capitalism of course is making money, not protecting the environment or preventing unfortunate impacts on public health. Rather than spending money on such measures, corporations prefer to spend money on legal teams to defend them against possible lawsuits arising from their failure to act on these issues.<br /> <br /> Latham points to the recent experience of the Caribbean islands of Martinique and Guadeloupe, generally thought of as tropical paradises. In 2007, professor Dominique Belpomme reported to the French government that the 800,000 inhabitants of the islands faced a “health disaster” as a result of the spraying of the banana pesticide chlordecone. Half the male population would develop prostate cancer, infertility on the islands was rising, and all children on the islands were contaminated. And chlordecone will remain in the soil for up to a century.<br /> <br /> Dr Latham points out that in fact around the world “a long line of chemical insecticide families have entered widespread use only to be discarded or banned for their broad negative ecological and health consequences.” He notes that “any single synthetic chemical, such as a pesticide, may potentially cause an enormous number and diversity of harms. They may result in reproductive toxicity, neurotoxicity, or carcinogenicity, for example, to any of a very large (often unknown) number of species. Moreover, these harms may vary according to life stages, with environmental or dietary conditions, the presence of other pollutants, and so forth. Furthermore, these harms may occur near to or far from the places and times where the chemical was used.”<br /> <br /> And the harm may take surprising forms. “For example, contraceptives entering sewage systems may later contaminate water bodies and so disrupt the endocrine systems of fish.” Some of these harmful effects may be difficult to predict, and equally difficult to prevent.<br /> <br /> Chemical giants like Monsanto have their sights set on gaining control of the world’s food industry (just as other capitalist corporations are seeking to gain control of the world’s water supply – in strategic terms it’s called “full spectrum dominance”). They produce and aggressively market genetically modified crop varieties that are resistant to the pesticides and insecticides that are indiscriminately sprayed from the air over large areas in Western commercial agriculture.<br /> <br /> Aerial spraying is the fast, efficient way to eliminate weeds and pests. It also eliminates non-harmful insects and plant species, everything except the genetically modified varieties with built-in resistance. Which is good for Monsanto or whichever chemical company has produced the GM variety, but potentially highly destructive for the people whose agricultural land is being sprayed.<br /> <br /> “GMOs [genetically modified organisms] intended for agricultural use ... may harm human and other intended consumers, soils, other crops, non-target insects, and so forth,” says Latham, and quotes the example of “creeping bentgrass (Agrostis stolonifera) ... a turf grass for which the Scotts corporation (in collaboration with Monsanto) created a GMO version resistant to the herbicide glyphosate.<br /> <br /> “The Scotts GMO bentgrass was open field-tested by the company in preparation for marketing between 2001 and 2003. However, it escaped from several company test sites. Whether mainly by pollen flow or by seed dispersal is not known, but glyphosate-tolerant A. stolonifera can currently (as of 2016) be found in several Oregon counties and in neighbouring Idaho. The escape of this GMO grass has created problems for weed management of waterways. Since A. stolonifera is a wind-pollinated species, we can anticipate that, in the absence of a dramatic intervention, GMO A. stolonifera transgenes will spread globally to wherever this grass grows wild.”<br /> <br /> Genetically modified turf grass is not by any means the only GMO to have “escaped” from “approved” locations to run wild with unpredictable results. Latham again: “GMO herbicide-tolerant canola (Brassica napus) has been approved for agricultural use in Canada, the US, and Australia. Within those countries, herbicide-tolerant canola GMO populations have been found growing as feral populations. Feral GMO canola populations have also been found in Great Britain, Japan and France.”<br /> <br /> So what? I hear you ask. Latham answers that question with the example of GMO corn in Mexico. “GMO corn often contains one or more members of the Cry family of insecticidal proteins. In much of Mexico, unlike most of the US, corn growth is not restricted by frost – which means that, in essence, self-replicating insecticides are spreading across the landscape. This corn arguably represents a degree of risk to ecological and food systems that exceeds the threat from chemical pesticides.”<br /> <br /> If GMO crops pose problems for humanity in the future, consider what potential disasters await us with the unleashing of genetically modified insects and other animals. This is already under way. Oxitec is planning experimental releases in New York State of a GMO diamond back moth (Plutella xylostella), containing DNA from several viral pathogens including Herpes Simplex Virus (HSV). As Latham points out: “Whether genes from viral pathogens can ever be safely inserted and used in other organisms is still an open question.” We may find out the hard way.<br /> <br /> These planned measures rely on in vitro techniques to introduce foreign gene sequences to drive gene frequencies. “Their ultimate goal is to alter the genetic composition of populations, including for the purposes of engineering population crashes or extinctions.” Latham points out however, that “the main distinction between gene driven organisms and most GMO crops is that gene driven organisms are explicitly designed to live and reproduce in the wild”. And we are already in trouble with GMO crops running wild!<br /> <br /> These genetic modifications are being pursued by scientists working for companies whose overriding concern is seizing profit opportunities. In this instance, what they are seeking to produce are “products” that, if they fail, cannot be recalled. Any damage they do will be final and irreversible.<br /> <br /> Latham poses some worrying questions, including whether genetically modified creatures such as mice or mosquitoes could be hazardous to the predators that eat them. Who knows? Other questions concern whether genetic modifications could spread from the original species to others with which it may sometimes interbreed. This is important because the genetic modification is likely to negatively impact these other species. Moreover, any unwanted or unanticipated impacts beyond the original species will likely be felt outside the predicted “impact zone”.<br /> <br /> People rely on their governments to ensure that business’ reckless pursuit of profit does not result in harmful effects on society. But at a time when business is waging an open and vigorous struggle against any and all government regulations, as “restrictive interference”, it is becoming increasingly difficult to protect the community from the effects of corporate greed. The drive for profit is compounded by the corporate desire to get the product into the market place before the competition. Companies don’t want to wait while possible socially or environmentally undesirable side-effects are researched.<br /> <br /> The result is that everywhere that commerce dominates science, the population has not been adequately protected against synthetic chemicals and the environment has not been adequately protected against GMOs. With genetic engineering being extended to insects and animals, it is only logical to expect more “unforeseen” impacts and more wild GMO organisms.<br /> <br /> The only feasible answer, according to an increasing number of scientists and activists is to embrace biodiverse ecological farming instead of genetic engineering.<br /> <br /> Even without profit-driven interference with the genetic structure of plants and animals, human activity has still managed to seriously (in some cases catastrophically) affect the operation of the natural world. We need from here on to err on the side of caution. As Dr Latham says: “Gene driven organisms ... must never be released.”<br /> <br /></div>

Genetic engineering a danger to life on the planet not just Humans

Do you give much thought to bio-security? Or how to safely manage the outputs of industrial innovation? Well, perhaps you should. As Jon...

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Only 2 Countries Have Not Joined the UN Convention of the Rights of the Child: South Sudan and…United States

<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGHpAPMC-hVrT5HhSgt-BPXMHjEpv9BrQuUVW_gG5hlVKPHpaTWFZow3aEHQq3C2ek9oZkE8pHDEaQozcW6m9_xvvYac7o1QlTX0rbcLWaGVph8h7VVJBThtkHwFjgQybfmTcD7BH1RErm/s1600/human-rights-for-all.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="132" data-original-width="382" height="220" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGHpAPMC-hVrT5HhSgt-BPXMHjEpv9BrQuUVW_gG5hlVKPHpaTWFZow3aEHQq3C2ek9oZkE8pHDEaQozcW6m9_xvvYac7o1QlTX0rbcLWaGVph8h7VVJBThtkHwFjgQybfmTcD7BH1RErm/s640/human-rights-for-all.jpg" width="640" /></a></div> <br /> An international agreement created to better protect children from abuse and exploitation has been embraced by all of the world’s nations except two.<br /> <br /> One the holdouts is still very young as a nation, having only gained its independence four years ago: South Sudan.<br /> <br /> The other outcast doesn’t have this excuse, given its nationhood started about 230 years ago: the United States.<br /> <br /> The Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC), which protects and promotes the rights of children everywhere, has been around since 1990.<br /> <br /> The U.S. was heavily involved in drafting the CRC under the Ronald Reagan and George H.W. Bush administrations, and did sign it in 1995. However, President Bill Clinton never submitted it to the U.S. Senate, which must approve it with a two-thirds majority vote before the president can ratify it.<br /> <br /> George W. Bush also did not ask the Senate to ratify it.<br /> <br /> Nor did President Barack Obama, who, during his 2008 presidential campaign, said of the CRC, “It is embarrassing that the U.S. is in the company of Somalia, a lawless land. If I become president, I will review this and other human rights treaties.”<br /> <br /> Obama still hasn’t sent the treaty to the Senate, while Somalia ratified it last week.<br /> <br /> Supporters of the CRC say it’s unlikely the U.S. will ratify it anytime soon, given that Republicans—who have previously expressed opposition to the treaty and often reject ideas coming out of the United Nations—are in charge of the Senate now.<br /> <br /> The basis for U.S. conservatives’ opposition to the CRC is twofold, according to Meg Gardinier, chair of the Campaign for U.S. Ratification of the CRC. One is their stock position that U.S. ratification of international human rights treaties will weaken U.S. sovereignty. The other is their stated belief that being a party to the treaty will undermine the role of American parents in raising their children.<br /> <br /> The treaty is “not meant to set children against parents,” countered Gardinier in an interview with the Inter Press Service. “It is the Campaign’s conviction that the CRC protects children, preserves and strengthens families and is unquestionably improving the lives of children.”<br /> <br /> “The U.S. cannot credibly encourage other nations to embrace human rights for children if it fails to embrace these norms,” she added.<br /> <br /> South Sudan, meanwhile, has passed a bill for the ratification of the treaty. If that happens, the U.S. will stand alone in the world in opposing children’s rights for all nations.<br /> <br /> Source:<br /> <a href="http://www.allgov.com/news/top-stories/only-2-countries-have-not-joined-the-un-convention-of-the-rights-of-the-child-south-sudan-andunited-states-150127?news=855492" target="_blank">http://www.allgov.com/news/top-stories/only-2-countries-have-not-joined-the-un-convention-of-the-rights-of-the-child-south-sudan-andunited-states-150127?news=855492</a><br /> <br /></div>

Only 2 Countries Have Not Joined the UN Convention of the Rights of the Child: South Sudan and…United States

An international agreement created to better protect children from abuse and exploitation has been embraced by all of the world’s nation...

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What does "success" actually mean?

<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"> <iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/4JknXtz3A1o?rel=0&showinfo=0" width="560"></iframe><br /> <br /> <br /> <b>Islam: </b>The Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) was the most successful man in the entire human history. Being the last Prophet of Islam, he not only set a good example for the whole mankind but also showed to them how to achieve success in this world. Maulana Wahiduddin Khan, a prominent Islamic scholar, has identified 10 successful principles taught by the Prophet.<br /> <br /> “By studying the life of the Prophet we can derive those important principles of success,” he wrote in an article. “To begin from the possible” is one of those principles. The Prophet’s wife Ayesha (may Allah be pleased with her) has explained this principle through a Hadith in which she said: “Whenever the Prophet had to choose between two options, he always opted for the easier one” (Al-Bukhari). To choose the easiest option means to begin from the possible, and <b>one who begins from the possible will surely reach his goal</b>.<br /> <br /> To see advantage in disadvantage was the Prophet’s second important principle, says Khan. In the early days of Makkah, there were many problems and difficulties. But a verse in the Qur’an, “With every hardship there is ease, with every hardship there is ease,” (94:5-6) inspired Muslims. They learned from the verse that if there are some problems, there are also opportunities at the same time. “And the way to success is to <b>ignore the problems and avail the opportunities</b>,” Khan points out.<br /> <br /> Changing the place of action was another principle, which is derived from the Hijrah. According to Khan, Hijrah was not just a migration from Makkah to Madinah but was a strategic move by the Prophet to <b>find a more suitable place </b>for Islamic work.<br /> <br /> “Make a friend out of an enemy” was the fourth principle, which the Prophet learned from the Qur’an, which enjoined upon him the return of good for evil. The Qur’an then added, “You will see your direst enemy has become your closest friend” (41:34). “It means that <b>a good deed in return for a bad deed</b> has a conquering effect over your enemies,” Khan wrote in his article.<br /> <br /> After the Battle of Badr, about 70 of the unbelievers were taken as prisoners of war and many of them were educated people. The Prophet announced that if any one of them would teach 10 Muslim children how to read and write he would be freed. This was the first school in the history of Islam in which all the students were Muslims and all the teachers were from the enemy rank. Here comes the fifth principle: <b>Wring success out of failure.</b><br /> <br /> The <b>power of peace is stronger than the power of violence</b> is the sixth principle. When Makkah was conquered, all of the Prophet’s direst opponents were brought before him. They were war criminals, in every sense of the word. But the Prophet did not order to kill them. He simply said: “Go, you are free.” The result of this kind behavior was miraculous. Most of them embraced Islam.<br /> <br /> No to dichotomous thinking was another principle of the Prophet. “In the famous Muta battle, Khaled bin Waleed decided to withdraw Muslim forces from the battlefield because he discovered that the enemy was disproportionately outnumbered. When the Muslim forces reached Madinah, some commented “O Furrar” (deserters). The Prophet said “No. They are Kurrar” (men of advancement).” Those Madinah Muslims, who commented wrongly about their forces, were thinking dichotomously, either fighting or retreating. The Prophet said no. There is also a third option, and that is to<b> avoid war and find a time to strengthen</b> yourself to make a powerful comeback. History tells us that the Muslims, after three years of preparation, advanced toward Rome and won a resounding victory.<br /> <br /> To bring the battle in one’s own favorable field was the Prophet’s eighth principle. Before the Hudaibiyya <b>Treaty </b>the unbelievers were determined to engage Muslims in fighting, because obviously they were in an advantageous position. But the Prophet, by accepting their conditions unilaterally, entered into a pact. It was a 10-year peace treaty. Until then, the meeting ground between Muslims and non-Muslims had been on the battlefield. Now the area of conflict became that of ideological debate. “Within two years, Islam emerged as victorious because of the simple reason of its ideological superiority,” the scholar said.<br /> <br /> G<b>radualism instead of radicalism was the ninth principle,</b> which is well-established by a Hadith reported by Al-Bukhari. Ayesha says that the first verses of the Qur’an were related mostly to heaven and hell. And then after a long time when the people’s hearts had softened, the specific commands to desist from adultery and drinking were revealed in the Qur’an. “This is a clear proof that for social changes, Islam advocates the evolutionary method, rather than the revolutionary method,” Khan explained.<br /> <br /> <b>To be pragmatic in controversial matters</b> was another of the Prophet’s important principles, he said. During the writing of the Hudaibiyya Treaty, the Prophet dictated these words: “This is from Muhammad, the Messenger of God.” The Quraysh raised their objections over these words. The Prophet promptly changed the word and ordered to write simply Muhammad son of Abdullah. This pragmatic approach adopted by the Prophet brought peace and prosperity for Muslims and accelerated the propagation of Islam.<br /> <br /> <br /></div>

What does "success" actually mean?

Islam: The Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) was the most successful man in the entire human history. Being the last Prophet of Islam...

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Water is Human Right NOT a Human Need > The most EVIL company in the world

<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"> <iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/mUK8NmdcKvc?rel=0&showinfo=0" width="560"></iframe><br /> <br /> <br /> <b>The Value of Water in Islam</b><br /> <br /> Religious scholars can play an important role in teaching citizens about the value of water and how to use it more sparingly and efficiently, but can they provide a solution to Jordan’s water scarcity?<br /> <br /> <b>Limiting water waste</b><br /> <br /> Combining an arid climate, high population growth and limited natural water reserves, Jordan is one of the most water-stressed countries in the world. The annual average water availability per person has dropped from 3,600 cubic meters in 1946 to 145 cubic meters in 2008 – a fraction of the 9,000 cubic meters that U.S. citizens have at their disposal. The conflict in Syria and the influx of more than 628,000 Syrian refugees since 2011 has put further pressure on the country’s scarce water resources, with annual water availability dropping to around 128 cubic meters per person since 2011.<br /> <br /> The average Jordanian knows that the country’s water supplies are limited: scarcity is tangible almost on a daily basis in many towns and villages – particularly during the hot summer months. Jordanian households receive eight hours of running water a week or less, making careful use and preservation essential. Still, the Jordanian government and several NGOs are constantly working to raise awareness of the value of water and to encourage water savings in every area of life. They say that religion is one of the most effective ways of convincing users not to waste water.<br /> <br /> <b>The role of Islam</b><br /> <br /> “Water plays a central role in Islam,” says Professor Abdel Majid al-Salahin, the dean of the Department of Islamic Jurisprudence at the University of Jordan. “The word ‘water’ is mentioned more than 60 times in the Quran and there are also many references to rain, snow and ice. Moreover, the Quran clearly condemns the wasting of water.”<br /> <br /> He gives the example of the hadith (a saying of the Prophet Mohammed) in which the Prophet Mohammad sees one of his companions, Saad, performing the ritual ablution wudu that is required before prayer. As Saad is using a lot of water, the Prophet Mohammed asks him: “Why are you wasting water like this?” Saad is surprised and asks whether it is possible to waste water during wudu. To this the Prophet responds that <b>one must never waste water, even on the banks of a flowing river</b>.<br /> <br />  Jordanians are very receptive to everything that is related to religion. When you talk to people about water through religion, they are more easily convinced.”<br /> <br /> Salahin says teachings like these and others can help make people more aware of the importance of water saving. “Jordanians are very receptive to everything that is related to religion – people here are religious by nature,” he says. “And when you talk to people about water in a religious context and quote passages from the Quran, they are more easily convinced.”<br /> <b><br /></b> <b>Passing on the message</b><br /> <br /> The Jordanian government has long acknowledged the important role that Islam can play in spreading awareness of sustainable water use, encouraging imams to incorporate teachings from the Quran and the ahadith in their Friday sermons. Female religious scholars or waithat – graduates with a university degree in Islamic Studies who follow additional training – also teach women about the value of water in Islam and how they can apply this to daily water use in the household.<br /> <br /> The Quran says that God made all living things from water and this is a very important message for us here at the center and in Jordan in general.”<br /> <br /> – Alham Alatala, waithah at Al Jinan Quranic Center in Amman<br /> Alham Alatala works as a waithah at Al Jinan Quranic Center in the Marka district of Amman, where she teaches women and children about different aspects of Islam and its practice. “We give lectures on many topics such as drug abuse, education, crime, but also water awareness,” she says. The center has a range of activities around the theme of water: it has published booklets about the importance of saving water for children, there are sessions in which older women show younger women traditional ways of saving water, and sometimes they even organize dish-washing competitions to see who can use the least water. “One of our basic aims is to teach children about the value of water. The Quran says that God made all living things from water and this is a very important message for us here at the center and in Jordan in general.”<br /> <br /> <b>Irrational behavior</b><br /> <br /> Such teachings have been repeated for many years in mosques and learning centers across Jordan, but can they really change people’s behavior? “The tradition of saving water is there, but it is not reflected in practice,” says Professor Odeh al-Jayyousi, a specialist in the domain of Islam and sustainable development. “I have a neighbor who is a heart surgeon, and he smokes. This illustrates the disconnect between knowledge and practice. Sometimes we act irrationally. We know this is right, nevertheless we don’t abide by it.”<br /> <br /> A recent study by the Water Authority of Jordan shows that water use in the household remains relatively irrational: the study found that only 5% of domestic water is used for drinking and cooking purposes, while 45% is used in bathrooms and for the irrigation of gardens. There is therefore considerable scope for increasing water use efficiency.<br /> <br />  The tradition of saving water is there, but it is not reflected in practice. There is a disconnect between knowledge and practice. We know this is right, nevertheless we don’t abide by it.”<br /> <br /> – Odeh al-Jayyousi, specialist in the domain of Islam and sustainable development<br /> Read the full interview by Berkan Ozyer with Professor al-Jayyousi here: On Communicating Water<br /> <br /> Policy-makers at the Ministry of Water and Irrigation believe that the teachings of Islam can contribute to raising such awareness. With the support of the German Federal Ministry of Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) and working with the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ), the ministry launched a three-year project in January 2015 to train approximately 1,000 imams and waithat effective ways of engaging their community in water saving and awareness. In addition, a teaching unit for religious studies will be developed at public universities and three large ‘pilot’ mosques will be turned into ‘water-plus-mosques’ and equipped with rainwater harvesting and water reuse facilities. The Abu Ubaidah Mosque in the Jordan Valley is the first example of such a mosque where water is being reused.<br /> <br /> <b>Smart discourse</b><br /> <br /> Al-Jayyousi often contributes to workshops to teach imams and waithat about the link between Islam, water and sustainability. He says that the teachings of Islam could guide believers towards a more sustainable lifestyle, but that most imams lack the technical background to impart such teachings. “There are around 7,000 mosques in Jordan, but many imams don’t have the proper educational foundation to be able to address issues like water scarcity.” He emphasizes the importance of providing a discourse that connects Islam to the realities of the 21st century. “You cannot talk about religious discourse while ignoring environmental realities like climate change, economic realities like oil prices and without understanding political relations.”<br /> <br /> Al-Jayyousi says that once imams make the connection between the teachings of Islam and sustainability they can create their own “smart discourse” and go beyond just quoting passages from the Quran. “The Quran relates the story of when Moses chose 12 springs and instructed each tribe to go to one spring. This is effectively an example of decentralized water management. When they hear this, many imams say they didn’t realize that a modern theme such as decentralization is addressed in Islam.”<br /> <br /> There are, however, limits to what religious leaders can achieve because of current economic and educational levels. Imams in Jordan are employed by the Ministry of Religious Affairs and earn very low wages. “They live barely above the poverty line,” says Jayyousi. “You cannot expect a beautiful discourse from people if they are hungry.” He gives the example of imams who have participated in training courses who ask whether they can take the pen that is handed out to them at the start of the course home for their children. “This says a lot,” says Jayyousi. “You can’t expect people to be innovative, to educate and cultivate themselves if they have to worry about the cost of a pen.”<br /> <br /> <b>Leakage and theft</b><br /> <br /> Religion is also being used to reinforce water legislation: in 2013, a fatwa was issued prohibiting water theft and other abuse of water resources and networks. It states that violating water resources and random well drilling threaten drinking water reserves, which is a shared right for all people.<br /> <br /> Still, water theft through illegal connections remains a serious problem in Jordan, together with network leakages. According to a 2014 Mercy Corps report, 50% of the water that is pumped through the state network annually is lost to leakage and theft. Of this, 76 billion liters is lost to leakage – enough to satisfy the needs of 2.6 million people a year, nearly a third of Jordan’s current population. Illegal well drilling also remains a problem.<br /> <br /> While religion may convince people to use water more efficiently, it alone cannot solve the problem of water scarcity in Jordan in the long term. In the end, problems of network leakage, theft, outdated infrastructure and illegal well drilling form a much greater threat to the country’s water reserves.<br /> <br /> <b>Water in Islam</b><br /> <br /> The word “water” appears 63 times in the Quran.<br /> One of the five mandatory acts or pillars in Islam is salat (prayer), which is carried out five times a day.<br /> Before salat, the believer is supposed to perform the small ablution, wudu. The Quran and the ahadith go into great detail about wudu and how much water the believer should use for each of its components.<br /> Muslims are required to perform the Friday midday prayer, salat al-jumah, in the mosque with the congregation. It is preceded by a sermon, the khutbah, during which the imam focuses on a specific theme. This is an important occasion to deliver messages about water saving.<br /> The mauda (ablution fountain) is a central feature of each mosque, placed strategically for believers to perform wudu before prayer.<br /> <br /> Writer: Berkan Ozyer, 27, is a Turkish journalist based in Istanbul. He works for EKOIQ, a monthly magazine that focuses on sustainability and the green economy.<br /> <br /> SOurce:<br /> <a href="http://www.revolve-water.com/the-value-of-water-in-islam/" target="_blank">http://www.revolve-water.com/the-value-of-water-in-islam/</a><br /> <br /></div>

Water is Human Right NOT a Human Need > The most EVIL company in the world

The Value of Water in Islam Religious scholars can play an important role in teaching citizens about the value of water and how to use...

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Half a Century of Pain – 50 Years of Agent Orange Disaster in Vietnam – 1961-2011

<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgC1ci7QXPOb597Tfkln2g-gjS6zZikC9oYQDhRVMSB9NmQiZR9PpUeP22C99AROIOBkfY9_qWwIjGEp2uaNsVEVq0V_XwO07nJaCVZewpOc_VGQHh1rv0GebDQWnonQW993NxYTqdjAL_D/s1600/war-222.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="454" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgC1ci7QXPOb597Tfkln2g-gjS6zZikC9oYQDhRVMSB9NmQiZR9PpUeP22C99AROIOBkfY9_qWwIjGEp2uaNsVEVq0V_XwO07nJaCVZewpOc_VGQHh1rv0GebDQWnonQW993NxYTqdjAL_D/s640/war-222.JPG" width="640" /></a></div> <span style="font-family: "tahoma" , "geneva" , sans-serif;"><br /></span> <span style="font-family: "tahoma" , "geneva" , sans-serif;">A selection of images from the book </span><em style="font-family: Tahoma, Geneva, sans-serif;">Half a Century of Pain – 50 Years of Agent Orange Disaster in Vietnam – 1961-2011</em><span style="font-family: "tahoma" , "geneva" , sans-serif;">, published by the Ministry of Information and Communication of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam.</span><br /> <span style="font-family: "tahoma" , "geneva" , sans-serif;"><br /></span> <span style="font-family: "tahoma" , "geneva" , sans-serif;">Click here to view images: </span><span style="font-family: "tahoma" , "geneva" , sans-serif;"><a href="http://www.cpa.org.au/photos/half-a-century-of-pain/index.htm" target="_blank">http://www.cpa.org.au/photos/half-a-century-of-pain/index.htm</a> </span><br /> <span style="font-family: "tahoma" , "geneva" , sans-serif;"><br /></span> <span style="font-family: "tahoma" , "geneva" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>

Half a Century of Pain – 50 Years of Agent Orange Disaster in Vietnam – 1961-2011

A selection of images from the book  Half a Century of Pain – 50 Years of Agent Orange Disaster in Vietnam – 1961-2011 , published by th...

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10 FOODS YOU SHOULD NEVER EAT

<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"> <iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/A_WqXYbghRw?rel=0&showinfo=0" width="560"></iframe><br /> <b><br /></b> <b>Avoid:</b><br /> <ol style="text-align: left;"> <li>Margarine</li> <li>Apples from USA - DPA applied to apples so they can be stored months at a time.</li> <li>Microwave Popcorns</li> <li>Palm Oil</li> <li>Sugar free candy (sweets)</li> <li>Diet Soda (and all soda)</li> <li>Shrimp</li> <li>Eggs</li> <li>Smoothies</li> <li>Meat (red and processed) - The China Study - Book</li> </ol> Do it today :-)</div>

10 FOODS YOU SHOULD NEVER EAT

Avoid: Margarine Apples from USA - DPA applied to apples so they can be stored months at a time. Microwave Popcorns Palm Oil Sugar ...

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Untold Story of Hurricane Katrina (USA): Blackwater, White Militias & Community Empowerment

<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"> <iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/IWmVHjw3HrU?rel=0&showinfo=0&start=1470" width="560"></iframe><br /> <br /> special coverage dedicated to the ninth anniversary of Hurricane Katrina, discussing the military response to the humanitarian disaster and why Blackwater mercenary forces were sent in to New Orleans as first responders. <br /> <br /> Abby then speaks with Ward “Mack” McClendon, founder of the Lower Ninth Ward Village, a community center that served as one of the only sanctuaries for adults and children of the Lower Ninth Ward, the area hardest hit by Katrina about his experience with the storm and how he is revitalizing his community. BTS wraps up the show with an interview with two co-founders of Common Ground Collective, Malik Rahim and Scott Crow, about the white militias that patrolled the Algiers Point neighborhood and killed as many as 11 black people in the aftermath of the storm.<br /> <br /></div>

Untold Story of Hurricane Katrina (USA): Blackwater, White Militias & Community Empowerment

special coverage dedicated to the ninth anniversary of Hurricane Katrina, discussing the military response to the humanitarian disaster a...

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