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Wasteful and out of touch with reality: Half of all US food produce is thrown away because of unrealistic cosmetic standards

Suzanne Goldenberg
The Guardian
Wed, 13 Jul 2016 18:30 UTC
watermelons
© Dan Tuffs/for the Guardian Discarded food is the biggest single component of US landfill and incinerators, according to the Environmental Protection Agency.
Americans throw away almost as much food as they eat because of a "cult of perfection", deepening hunger and poverty, and inflicting a heavy toll on the environment.

Vast quantities of fresh produce grown in the US are left in the field to rot, fed to livestock or hauled directly from the field to landfill, because of unrealistic and unyielding cosmetic standards, according to official data and interviews with dozens of farmers, packers, truckers, researchers, campaigners and government officials.

From the fields and orchards of California to the population centres of the east coast, farmers and others on the food distribution chain say high-value and nutritious food is being sacrificed to retailers' demand for unattainable perfection.

"It's all about blemish-free produce," says Jay Johnson, who ships fresh fruit and vegetables from North Carolina and central Florida. "What happens in our business today is that it is either perfect, or it gets rejected. It is perfect to them, or they turn it down. And then you are stuck."

Food waste is often described as a "farm-to-fork" problem. Produce is lost in fields, warehouses, packaging, distribution, supermarkets, restaurants and fridges.

By one government tally, about 60m tonnes of produce worth about $160bn (£119bn), is wasted by retailers and consumers every year - one third of all foodstuffs.
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Sheriff

After Dallas shootings, police across the country have been arresting people for criticizing cops on Facebook and Twitter

Naomi LaChance
The Intercept
Tue, 12 Jul 2016 14:27 UTC
Facebook
© Stephen Lam/Getty Images
Four men in Detroit were arrested over the past week for posts on social media that the police chief called threatening. One tweet that led to an arrest said that Micah Johnson, the man who shot police officers in Dallas last week, was a hero. None of the men have been named, nor have they been charged.

"I know this is a new issue, but I want these people charged with crimes," said Detroit Police Chief James Craig. "I've directed my officers to prepare warrants for these four individuals, and we'll see which venue is the best to pursue charges," he said.

Five police officers were killed in the Dallas shootings, constituting the highest number of police casualties in an attack since September 11. And as a result, law enforcement officials everywhere are suddenly much more sensitive to threats against their lives.

But one result has been that several police departments across the country have arrested individuals for posts on social media accounts, often from citizen tips — raising concerns among free speech advocates.

"Arresting people for speech is something we should be very careful about," Bruce Schneier, security technologist at the Berkman Klein Center for Internet & Society at Harvard University, told The Intercept.

Comment: The police have become hysterical, and any sign of non-acquiescence to the new normal of obscene police brutality is being viewed as a threat to their authority and must be dealt with as heavy-handedly as possible. Which only exacerbates people's frustration. See also:

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Family

The human psychological delusion 'I am not responsible'

Robert J. Burrowes
Global Research
Wed, 13 Jul 2016 16:44 UTC
Ostrich effect
One of the many interesting details to be learned by understanding human psychology is how a person's unconscious fear works in a myriad of ways to make them believe that they bear no responsibility for a particular problem.

This psychological dysfunctionality cripples a substantial portion of the human population in ways that work against the possibility of achieving worthwhile outcomes for themselves, other individuals, communities and the world as a whole. In an era when human extinction is now a likely near-term outcome of this dysfunctionality, it is obviously particularly problematic. So why does this happen and how does it manifest?

In essence, if a person is frightened by the circumstances of others or a particular set of events, their fear will often unconsciously delude them into believing and behaving as if they bear no responsibility for playing a part in addressing the problem. This fear works particularly easily when the person or people concerned live at considerable social and/or geographic distance or when the events occur in another place. But it can also work with someone who is socially or geographically close, or with an event that occurs nearby. Let me illustrate this common behaviour with several examples which might stimulate your awareness of having witnessed it too.

I first became seriously interested in this phenomenon after hearing someone, who had just returned from India, describe the many street beggars in India as 'living a subsistence lifestyle'. As I listened to this individual, I could immediately perceive that they were very frightened by their experience but in a way that made them not want to help. Given that this individual has considerable wealth, it was immediately apparent to me that the individual was attempting to conceal from themselves their unconscious guilt (about their own wealth and how this was acquired) but I could perceive an element of anger in their response as well. This anger was obviously shaping the way in which street beggars were perceived so that there was no apparent need to do anything. So what was the unconscious anger about? Most probably about not getting help themselves when they needed it as a child.

Comment: See also:

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Camcorder

Alton Sterling witness sues police for unlawful detainment and stealing his surveillance equipment

Matt Agorist
The Free Thought Project
Tue, 12 Jul 2016 16:57 UTC
Abdullah Muflahi,
Abdullah Muflahi in front of the Triple S market where Alton Sterling was murdered.
A graphic cell phone video showing two officers execute a man at point blank range last week prompted immediate outrage in a Baton Rouge community. While the first video was enough to enrage the community, another video, released the Wednesday after the shooting, was absolutely horrifying. Now, according to a recent lawsuit, the surveillance video may be even worse.

The owner of the Triple S Food Market, the store Sterling was killed in front of, has since filed a lawsuit against the Baton Rouge police department for their theft of his surveillance video — without a warrant.

Abdullah Muflahi, the store's owner, is suing Baton Rouge and its police department. Muflahi accused authorities of illegally taking him into custody and confiscating his entire security system without a warrant.
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Snakes in Suits

New law passed: Men in Tanzania now face up to 30 years in prison if they marry or impregnate a school-age girl

Marni Fogelson-Teel
Inhabitots
Mon, 11 Jul 2016 01:15 UTC
child bride
15 million girls under the age of 18 are married off each year around the world. Whether these marriages are arranged for financial reasons or are simply part of a cultural norm, the facts don't change: these married school-age girls are far less likely to complete their education, and they have a higher risk of dying in childbirth, contracting HIV, and being victims of domestic or sexual violence.

Tanzania, located in eastern Africa, has high rates of married school-age girls as well as one of the highest rates of adolescent pregnancies in the world: 37% of underage girls in Tanzania are married, and more than one in five Tanzanian teenagers between the ages of 15 and 19 have given birth.

A new law passed last month in Tanzanian parliament aims to change this trend by making it illegal (and punishable by up to 30 years in prison) for a man to marry or impregnate a primary-school or second-school age girl.

Comment: See also: Senior female chief in Malawi annulled up 850 child marriages and sends girls back to school

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Ambulance

In the U.S. today, just surviving is the name of the game

Martin Berger
New Eastern Outlook
Wed, 13 Jul 2016 16:23 UTC
Homeless man pushing a cart
© NEO

Comment: This is the ugly reality of the massive wealth inequality created by psychopaths in power. Take a good look at one aspect of the world they have created:


According to the recent article published by the Foreign Policy that goes under the title - Survival is the new American Dream, young Americans are disillusioned in capitalism. The article presents the results of the Harvard University study, which found out that 51 percent of the people aged between 18 and 29 years are against the capitalist model, while only 42 percent support it. It's curious that 33 percent say they support socialism.

All the hopes that were attached to the Occupy Wall Street movement and the recent Fight for $15 demonstrations (basic minimum hourly wage in the US) have now crumbled. There's radical change to be seen anywhere, while the standard of living keeps going down.

The Washington Post would quote the words of Zach Lustbader, a senior at Harvard involved in conducting the above mentioned poll:
The word 'capitalism' doesn't mean what it used to. For those who grew up during the Cold War, capitalism meant freedom from the Soviet Union and other totalitarian regimes. For those who grew up more recently, capitalism has meant a financial crisis from which the global economy still has not completely recovered

American work life has become so corrupt, and the pursuit of basic stability so insurmountable, that modest ambitions - a salary that covers your bills, the ability to own a home or go to college without enormous debt - are now fantasies or luxuries.
Against this background, Gallup has been observing a sharp decline in patriotic moods among Americans. According to sociologists, the steadily declining patriotism associated with general dissatisfaction the way things are going in the US, since January 2004 was the last when satisfaction has been at the majority level, and the percentage of those satisfied has been mostly below 30 percent ever since 2007. It's no wonder that the least patriotic demographic group in the American society today is the young people aged between 18-29 years.

Comment: See also: Insider report forecasts multi-billion-dollar profits from global riot 'contagion': Elites poised for global chaos?

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Quenelle

Day of Rage protests scheduled for July 15th in dozens of U.S. cities

Daisy Luther
The Organic Prepper
Mon, 11 Jul 2016 00:00 UTC
day of rage
There's a war in America right now. Black vs. white. Citizen vs. police officer. Race grievances have become an industry, and business is booming.


Comment: While there is no question that groups are being co-opted and subverted, its a shame that this article begins by coloring the righteous anger felt among so many victimized blacks in the U.S. with a link to a book that would seem to blame the victim to the extent that it does. While there's no doubt that serious social problems exist in the black community, it does not help this groups problems to feel that they could lose their lives at the drop of the hat by those who are paid to 'serve and protect'.


The rage is boiling over across the nation. First, videos emerged that showed the graphic deaths of two black men at the hands of police, with what appears (at least on the videos) to be no reason. Protests erupted over these deaths, and then they became violent as one man shot 11 police officers and 2 citizens at a rally in Dallas, Texas, killing 5. That sparked a war on law enforcement officers and a nationwide spree of violence against cops. Some people are even more extreme, declaring open season on white people in general.


Comment: While there is a lashing out and violence committed against cops, again it would seem to be a mistake to generalize as it appears the author of the article has done. The vast majority of demonstrations, while filled with anger, do not contain violence.


But it's about to get even worse.

Updated: The hacktivist group claiming to be Anonymous is now calling for nationwide Day of Rage protests on Friday, July 15th. This video is NOT on the official Anonymous YouTube channel. The video below promotes the protests. (WARNING: There is some disturbing and graphic violence in this video.)

Comment: While the concern over outbreaks of violence, agent provocateurs, etc. are valid, the moment to be heard is now. And one thing is for sure, the wanton abuse and murder by cops of innocent blacks (among others) is not going away. If you aren't black and living in the U.S., one would do well to put themselves in their shoes. What would you do?

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Stormtrooper

Israeli police initiate 'friction activity' on quiet streets in East Jerusalem to provoke violence

Annie Robbins
Mondoweiss
Tue, 12 Jul 2016 13:39 UTC
Israeli security forces sniper
An Israeli security forces sniper aims his weapon toward Palestinian protesters during clashes in the east Jerusalem Arab neighborhood of Issawiya, Oct. 4, 2015.
An internal Jerusalem police department report reveals Israeli border police "initiated friction activity" to deliberately provoke violence in the occupied East Jerusalem neighborhood of Issawiya, according to Haaretz.

The report comes to light after attorney Eitay Mack, representing the family of 12 year old Palestinian child Ahmed Abu Humus, filed a complaint after the boy was shot in the head by Israeli forces last January.

Ahmed Abu Humus suffers from severe neurological brain damage sustained from a fractured skull as a result of Israel's 2014 policy of using model 4557 black foam-tipped bullets for "riot control". Over 57,000 "foamed tipped" bullets have been fired in the last 2 years, mostly in East Jerusalem.
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Camcorder

Get a warrant: Police bodycam and dashcam footage will no longer be public record in North Carolina


RT
Tue, 12 Jul 2016 00:40 UTC
police body camera
© Jim Young / Reuters
Police bodycam and dashcam footage is now off limits to the public in North Carolina unless a court order is obtained. Governor Pat McCrory signed a law restricting access to the footage "to gain public trust while respecting the rights of public safety officers."

North Carolina House Bill 972, signed into law Monday, prevents citizens from viewing footage from police bodycams or cruiser dashcams unless law enforcement authorities choose to let them or a judge orders it. When a request to police footage is denied, the petitioner would have to obtain an order from North Carolina's superior court see it.

"[The law] seeks to gain public trust while respecting the rights of public safety officers," Governor McCrory's office said in a statement, adding that the law also establishes a "Blue Alert," which acts as an"AMBER alert" for cops, alerting the public via smartphone about suspects who have harmed or killed police officers.
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Attention

New IDF chief rabbi: Soldiers can rape Arab women to boost morale

Matt Agorist
The Free Thought Project
Tue, 12 Jul 2016 20:06 UTC
Eyal Karim
Jewish extremist. Chief IDF rabbi.
Outgoing chief rabbi, Brig. Gen. Rafi Peretz, of the Israeili Defense Forces, who is stepping down after six years in the position is being replaced. And, his successor, Rabbi Col. Eyal Karim's appointment is being met with backlash — as he is outspoken for allowing soldiers to rape women during wartime.

Karim, who was announced on Monday as the intended new IDF chief rabbi, has provoked controversy with previous misogynistic statements, such as opposing female conscription and implying that rape was permissible in times of war.

According to Ynet News, Karim has been serving as the head of the Rabbinate Department in the Military Rabbinate. He is an alumnus of the Bnei Akiva Nachalim and the Ateret Cohanim yeshivas, and he served previously as a combat paratrooper, eventually commanding their elite reconnaissance unit, before taking a break from the military and eventually returning to its rabbinate.

Comment: Israel: the "only democracy in the Middle East". And what a beacon of freedom and democratic values it is.

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