Sanders Rejects Donation from Big Pharma’s Martin Shkreli—Gives it to a Health Clinic Instead

Big Pharma CEO Martin Shkreli pledged his support and donated to Bernie Sanders last week. So how did Bernie respond? By taking the money and giving it to a health clinic in Washington.

Published: October 17, 2015 | Authors: Elizabeth Miller | NationofChange | News Report 

Remember Martin Shkreli? In case you don’t, Shkreli, CEO of Turking Pharmaceuticals, is the man that raised the price of a drug last month by 4,000 percent—from $13.50 to $750 per pill. The drug, Daraprim, is the only treatment of a rare parasitic infection.

It turns out Shkreli is a supporter of Bernie Sanders. If you think this is odd, you are not alone. Sanders has long been a proponent of lowering prices for prescription drugs, even proposing to let people import cheaper prescription drugs from Canada, and calling for Medicare to lower drug prices. But Shkreli doesn’t like Hillary Clinton, claimining: “I don’t think she really stands for anything. At least Bernie’s passionate and really kind of provocative.”

Shkreli tweeted his support for Sanders live during this week’s Democratic National Debate and has been trying to get a meeting with the Vermont Senator for weeks. He was been repeatedly turned away though, resulting in him making a $2,700 donation in an effort to get Sanders’ attention. On Thursday, Michael Briggs, campaign spokesman for Bernie Sanders, announced that “We are not keeping the money from this poster boy for drug company greed,” but will instead make a $2,700 donation to Whitman-Walker health clinic in Washington.

Although Shrekli supports Sanders call for free public college and mental health care, he doesn’t agree with his stance on drug prices. He claims that he donated in an effort to get a meeting with Sanders in order to explain why drug companies set the prices the way that they do.

Now that Sanders has both refused a meeting and donated his money elsewhere, Shrekli is angry: “I think it’s cheap to use one person’s action as a platform without kind of talking to that person,” Shkreli said in the interview. “He’ll take my money, but he won’t engage with me for five minutes to understand this issue better.”

He isn’t worried about the laws changing any time soon though: “Right now the rule of law in the United States is that drug companies can price their products wherever they see fit, not wherever he sees fit,” Shkreli said. “If the rule changes by congressional vote, then you know, I’ll adapt to the rules.”

Shkreli also tweeted about his donation during the Democratic National Debate on Tuesday, along with the claim that soaring drug prices are what pays for research and development on drugs for the future.

So what do you think? Did Bernie make the right move? Do you agree with Shkreli that it is okay to raise the price of a drug by 4,000 percent to make up for paying for research and development?

Study: 7 in 10 Americans believe in solid evidence of global warming

By TY SCHOLES
Cronkite News 

PHOENIX – Severe drought affecting many parts of the nation is convincing skeptics of global warming to reconsider their position on the matter.

For the first time since 2008, 7 out of 10 Americans indicate that there is solid evidence of global warming, according to a report from the National Surveys on Energy and Environment. This is a 10 percent increase from last fall and just behind the record 72 percent in 2008. More than 60 percent of those who believe global warming evidence cite severe drought as having a “very large effect” on their stance.

Dr. Nancy Selover, the state climatologist for Arizona, said there is good science supporting the public’s belief in global warming, “We’re seeing warming in different areas and in some cases we’re not necessarily seeing evidence of extreme events, but continuously warmer temperatures,” she said, adding that drought is not a good indicator of global warming.

“We have cycles of drought that come and go. In the 20th century, we had a 37-year wet period that followed an extremely short dry 10 years,” said Selover, “… and now we’re in a 21-year dry period.”

Regardless of whether drought is proof of climate change, environmentalists are encouraged by the study’s finding of increased acceptance of global warming.

“The misinformation that came out confused some people for a bit, but eventually people figured it out. A lot of that is due to good scientists getting that information out,” said Sandy Bahr, director of the Sierra Club Grand Canyon Chapter.

“It’s hard to get action if people don’t think there is a problem. No matter what the problem is, you have to acknowledge that there is one. Then, the next step is to figure out the kinds of actions that we can take to address it,” said Bahr.
The report also found:

• 56 percent of Republicans believe there is solid evidence of global warming, up 9 percent from 2014. 79 percent of Democrats and 69 percent of Independents believe in warming.
• Of those who believe in global warming, a record 65 percent say they are “very confident” in their belief.
• Of those doubtful of global warming, a record 34 percent say local weather observation has “no effect” on their views. In previous surveys, “large majorities of Americans who do not believe there is evidence of global warming have pointed to local weather observations as the basis for their position.”

Larky Hodges, who speaks to groups about climate change, related the issue to the tobacco industry. 

“You know how long it took people to understand that cigarettes cause cancer. And you know that was all a misinformation campaign. It’s the exact same problem,” said the Ahwatukee resident.

Hodges said the issue should transcend political affiliations.

"If you see a flood coming down the road, you're going to be sandbagging with all of your neighbors whether they're Democrats or Republicans," she said.  "We should all be in this together and people just have to look past the partisan politics and say what's best for me and my children."

Best Moment on GOP Debate Night: Bernie Sanders

George Mason University senior Remaz Aedelgader asks Senator Bernie Sanders how he will push back against Islamophobia. (photo: Alice Ollstein)

By Scott Galindez, Reader Supported News

29 October 15

readersupportednews.org

 

here were several memorable moments during the GOP debate, mostly at the expense of the media. I don’t usually agree with the Republicans, but I do think they have a point on all the gotcha questions they faced in the first and third debates. Don’t get me wrong, I enjoyed them, and even personally think the candidates deserved what they got. But I do agree we would all be better served if we had debates on the issues.

There is a case to be made that if the candidates are running negative campaigns, like most Republicans are, they deserve to be called out. Chris Christie, Ted Cruz, Donald Trump, Ben Carson … had memorable moments calling out the media during the 3rd Republican debate, but the candidate for president who had the best moment of the night was Bernie Sanders.

No, it wasn’t on Twitter, where he shined during the first two debates of the clown car. This time it was on stage at George Mason University. Bernie was holding a national student town hall meeting. A question came from an American Muslim student who said she wants to change the world. Bernie called her up on stage and gave her a hug and then gave a very personal response.

George Mason University senior Remaz Abdelgader asked Senator Sanders how he would deal with the rising tide of Islamophobia in the country she loves.

“With the growing Islamophobia in this country if you look at the Republican candidates feeding into their constituents and constantly bashing Muslims in the media, Ben Carson and Donald Trump, the biggest bigots. As an American Muslim student who aspires to change the world — (Applause) (Hug from Bernie)

“Thank you. As an American Muslim student who aspires to change the world, currently majoring in international conflict resolution, and I hope to be a human rights attorney. Hearing the rhetoric that’s going on in the media makes me sick. I as an individual am constantly trying to raise awareness and make sure that everyone is treated equally in this country. As our next president of the United States, what do you think about that?” (Bernie took Remaz’s hand and walked backed to the podium with her.)

Bernie then responded:

“I’m Jewish. My father’s parents were killed in concentration camps. I will do everything I can to rid this country of the ugly stain of racism, which has existed far too many years. Let me tell you something: what racism is about is many things, it is pent up hatred that is lashing out at people in uncontrollable stupid ways, but it is something very different than that. For many years in this country you have had politicians, and I’m old enough to know this, who played black off against white, so they told white workers who were earning pennies an hour, they said hey, you think you’re in trouble, but you’re better off than the blacks, who can’t drink at a water fountain or go to your school, and they told straight people, well you think you’ve got problems, but you’re better off than those gay people, right? And they played men against women. We played one group off against another. The rich got richer and everybody else is fighting with each other.

“Our job is to build a nation in which we all stand together as one people. [Applause] And you are right, there is a lot of anger being generated and hatred being generated against Muslims and immigrants in this country, and if we stand for anything we have got to stand together and end all forms of racism, and I will lead that effort as President of the United States.”

Bernie then gave Remaz another hug as thousands of students gave a standing ovation.

If you watch the mainstream media today, you will see Jeb Bush attack Marco Rubio for not showing up for enough votes in the Senate. You will see Chris Christie tell the moderator that his interruptions are rude even by New Jersey standards. You will see Ted Cruz slam the moderators for asking gotcha questions instead of questions with substance, you will see Jeb bush offering a big warm kiss to any Democrat who will cut spending, and the best line of the debate, you’ll see Chris Christie listing the important issues facing the country, and asking why they were talking about fantasy football.

Nothing in the two hour Republican debate was as important as the moment at the Bernie Sanders student town hall. But I’m guessing you won’t see it on CNN.

---

The whole Sanders town hall can be viewed at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Up46s_gb7PY

---

Scott Galindez attended Syracuse University, where he first became politically active. The writings of El Salvador's slain archbishop Oscar Romero and the on-campus South Africa divestment movement converted him from a Reagan supporter to an activist for Peace and Justice. Over the years he has been influenced by the likes of Philip Berrigan, William Thomas, Mitch Snyder, Don White, Lisa Fithian, and Paul Wellstone. Scott met Marc Ash while organizing counterinaugural events after George W. Bush's first stolen election. Scott will be spending a year covering the presidential election from Iowa.

   
Comments

+37 # Dongi 2015-10-29 11:46

Bernie's gesture brought tears to my eyes. I was only there in spirit, but you know what? Bernie is going to win. A man this decent just has to win, and you know something else. God is on his side!!!

+7 # jtatu 2015-10-29 14:04

I do not believe that God cares who is going to win.

+1 # ritawalpoleague 2015-10-29 14:51

And here's a very 'hopeful' true plus story for Bernie:

A lovely, precious woman, whose trawler yacht was tied down in a slip next to our slip in Maryland on Chesapeake Bay, told me a story that brought tears to my eyes.

This dear woman, a 'biggie' with the World Bank, had traveled to Poland on a business trip, and had joined up and gone with her cousin to a Polish Nazi concentration camp, where her aunt (his beloved Jewish mother) had been incarcerated during WW2, and had died via being gassed to death.

My friend took a number of pictures of her cousin, as he stood beneath the con. camp's entrance, and at various spots inside the dreadful, deadly camp.

Once back home in Maryland, my friend got the photos she'd taken developed, and was amazed at what she saw. In each photo she'd taken of her cousin, a woman appeared, holding onto and softly embracing her cousin. No such woman had been there, at time she'd taken the pictures.

She called her cousin, and upon my friend's describing the woman standing lovingly next to him, cousin cried: "My God, it sounds like my mother, your aunt." And then, as soon as he received his copies of the photos, call back my friend he did, and confirmed that it was indeed, his dear, departed mom. They both agreed, miracles can and do happen, when we act and work in a loving, caring way.

Yes, there is a God (Abba), who is on our and Bernie's side.

0 # Dongi 2015-10-29 15:12

I have been to Poland three times visiting and praying and doing shamanic work at holocaust sites: Auschwitz-Birch enau, Treblinka, Chelmno, Maijanek, Sobibor, Belsec and Babi Yar in Kiev. I help souls that are stuck cross over to the other side. I get so high when I am done that it is like walking through paradise with angels at my side. Miracles do happen like almost every day. I am a holistic healer and the last few years I work on animals as well as people. It's a package deal. Funny thing, animals never forget when you help them. They are always ready to jump into your arms.

Enjoyed your comment, Rita. Thanks for posting.

-1 # Karlus58 2015-10-29 14:53

God please....where are you! We need you badly to help free us of these religious fanatics.

0 # Karlus58 2015-10-29 14:54

And God...why are decent men cast aside?

+24 # isafakir 2015-10-29 13:29

bernie's good heartedness shines right through

people saying he's sexist white racist really hurt me to the bone. he so much is not. you wonder what's in their hearts.

it's so cruel to say this person is black hearted after all he's done over a lifetime. his response to this young lady, his physical stance before he opened his mouth made me cry. such humility in a lifetime of politics is a miracle. caring loving honest.

thank god we have him.

+23 # jimmyjames 2015-10-29 13:43

Quoting isafakir:

bernie's good heartedness shines right through

people saying he's sexist white racist really hurt me to the bone. he so much is not. you wonder what's in their hearts.

it's so cruel to say this person is black hearted after all he's done over a lifetime. his response to this young lady, his physical stance before he opened his mouth made me cry. such humility in a lifetime of politics is a miracle. caring loving honest.

thank god we have him.

Well said....I would give you 2 thumbs up if I could. It's been so long since we had a caring, honest man running for the President, I almost cried myself. Jimmy Carter, for all his faults, was a caring, honest man - and still is to this day. This country is long overdue for another man, or woman, who has these qualities.

 

+17 # reiverpacific 2015-10-29 13:45

Quoting isafakir:

bernie's good heartedness shines right through

people saying he's sexist white racist really hurt me to the bone. he so much is not. you wonder what's in their hearts.

it's so cruel to say this person is black hearted after all he's done over a lifetime. his response to this young lady, his physical stance before he opened his mouth made me cry. such humility in a lifetime of politics is a miracle. caring loving honest.

thank god we have him.

Be of comfort.
People who say these things about a truly decent man are pure hate mongers, greenly jealous and a danger to the country and the world in general.
Remember what people said about another of the best-hearted people who was ever president, Jimmy Carter and he's still alive, doing good things and deeply admired globally as a symbol of American decency.
And of course those who way back called "Crucify him, crucify him!" with their hate-glands working overtime.
Bernie is far above all that and we just need to get more people in behind him.
My wife and I have already contributed twice as far as our means allow and plan to do so again (and I don't even get to vote as a non-citizen taxpayer)!

 

+1 # jtatu 2015-10-29 13:59

Who is saying Bernie Sanders is a sexist white racist? Is this something isafakir has made up? I've never heard it.

+10 # mmcmanus 2015-10-29 13:46

The republican candidates' complaints about the questions last night were downright silly--none of them answer the question, no matter what it is!

+2 # Inspired Citizen 2015-10-29 14:46

I fell asleep a couple of times, so maybe I missed where one Republican mentioned Bernie Sanders by name. Why did they attack just Hillary? Bernie is not seen as the likely nominee, and he is not!

UNLESS 1-2 million take the Bernie or bust pledge and demand Sanders or else, we'll be stuck again between a Republican and Republican-lite (#CorporateClinton).

http://citizensagainstplutocracy.org/

+15 # MEBrowning 2015-10-29 13:47

Bernie is an inspiration.

Bush unveils plan to cut Medicare, Social Security

Getty Images

By Peter Sullivan - 10/27/15 02:30 PM EDT

The Hill

ourfuture.org 

Republican presidential candidate Jeb Bush on Tuesday unveiled an entitlement reform plan that seeks to shore up the finances of Medicare and Social Security.

“Unless we make changes to Medicare and Social Security, their trust funds will be exhausted and benefits will be cut,” Bush wrote in a post on Medium. “[I]f we do not have an honest conversation about what it will take to protect Medicare and Social Security, we fail seniors and we will fail the next generation of Americans.”The former Florida governor's plan for Medicare, which he released ahead of the next Republican debate Wednesday, would shift the system into what is known as “premium support.”

Rep. Paul Ryan (R-Wis.) has been a vocal proponent of the move, which Democrats often denounce as ending Medicare “as we know it.”

Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.), another presidential candidate, has made a similar proposal.

Bush argues the change would give seniors more options and lead to lower premiums. Under the proposed system, seniors would receive a fixed subsidy they could use to help buy either a private insurance plan or the traditional government-run plan.

One of Democrats' main critiques is that the amount of the subsidy would not be enough and would in effect cut benefits.

“Representative Paul Ryan (R-WI) and other courageous conservatives have championed this approach to improve the structure of Medicare,” Bush writes. “If we act now, we can leave the next generation of Americans with a more prosperous future.”

The Medicare Trustees report estimates that the Medicare trust fund will run out of money in 2030.

Bush also proposes other reforms such as allowing seniors to use health savings accounts. In addition, he would make wealthier seniors pay a higher share of their premiums, increasing what is known as means-testing.

On Social Security, Bush would gradually raise the retirement age, a proposal he casts as similar to one from the bipartisan Simpson-Bowles debt commission.

He also proposes to change the formula used to calculate Social Security benefits each year. That change, called the chained consumer price index, has won support from President Obama but is opposed by some liberals who say it effectively cuts Social Security.

Processed Meat Can Cause Cancer, Red Meat Probably Can: WHO

A vendor sells sausages prepared at a local sausage shop of the "Russia" collective farm in the settlement of Grigoropolisskaya, northwest of the southern city of Stavropol, February 17, 2015. (photo: Eduard Kornlyenko/Reuters)

By Gus Trompiz, Reuters

26 October 15

readersupportednews.org

 

ating processed meats like hot dogs, sausages or bacon can lead to bowel cancer in humans and red meat is a likely cause of the disease, World Health Organisation (WHO) experts said.

The review by the WHO's International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC), released on Monday, put processed meat in its group 1 list, which also includes tobacco and asbestos, for which there is "sufficient evidence" of cancer links.

Red meat was classified as probably carcinogenic in IARC's group 2A list, to which it has also added this year glyphosate, the active ingredient in many weedkillers.

Meat industry groups rejected the findings as simplistic, although some scientists said they may not add much to existing health recommendations to limit consumption of such meat.

The IARC was carrying out a formal review of meat for the first time and examined some 800 studies during a meeting of 22 health experts in France earlier this month.

"For an individual, the risk of developing colorectal (bowel) cancer because of their consumption of processed meat remains small, but this risk increases with the amount of meat consumed," Dr Kurt Straif of the IARC said in a statement.

Each 50 gram portion of processed meat eaten daily increases the risk of colorectal cancer by 18 percent, the agency estimated.

The classification for red meat - defined as all types of mammalian meat, including beef, lamb and pork - reflected "limited evidence" that it causes cancer. The IARC found links mainly with bowel cancer, but it also observed associations with pancreatic and prostate cancer.

Inconclusive evidence of a link between processed meat and stomach cancer was also observed, it said.

The IARC does not compare the level of cancer risk associated with different substances in a given category, so does not suggest eating meat is as dangerous as smoking, for example.

But the bracketing of processed meat with products such as tobacco or arsenic irked industry groups, with the North American Meat Institute saying the IARC report "defies common sense".

Suppliers argue that meat provides essential protein, vitamins and minerals as part of a balanced diet.

"We've known for some time about the probable link between red and processed meat, and bowel cancer," Professor Tim Key of Oxford University said in a statement from charity Cancer Research UK.

"Eating a bacon bap every once in a while isn't going to do much harm - having a healthy diet is all about moderation."

The IARC, however, said such dietary advice often focused on heart disease and obesity.

It cited an estimate from the Global Burden of Disease Project - an international consortium of more than 1,000 researchers - that 34,000 cancer deaths per year worldwide are attributable to diets high in processed meat.

This compares with about 1 million cancer deaths per year globally due to tobacco smoking and 600,000 a year due to alcohol consumption, it said.

Comments

 

+3 # NAVYVET 2015-10-26 10:14

Eating cooked meat (in a mixed diet with raw fruit & vegetables) was needed by our ancient ancestors before they could evolve large forebrains from the high protein content of meat and from the teamwork & language necessary for hunting. While their longevity seems to have been pretty good (greater than the bread-eating peasants of the Neolithic) it was nowhere near the length of our lives today. Living into old age requires a change in diet -- so now I shun red meats & processed foods & eat a lot more high fiber cereals, fruits and vegetables, lightly cooked or raw, substituting stevia & potassium for sugar & sodium.

We are by ancestry omnivores. I see no reason to become a "vegan" although my ethics make me avoid all meat, even pale meat like chicken, that's maltreated & buy it only from our local co-op. I was raised to be scared of trichinosis & never developed a taste for pork, but I do succumb to lamb or mutton about 4 times a year because I love the taste, and if a hunter offered me a venison steak I'd quickly accept! Temptation is OK now and then, but I do try to eat vegetarian 3 or 4 times a week. I'm near 80, healthier and more energetic than some people 20 years younger, so my diet may be suitable. However, as I age it may need to change again. We just need to be flexible and not worry overmuch about it. I hardly ever think about my health beyond listening to me doctor (she's wise!) and making occasional adjustments.

 

+3 # Skyelav 2015-10-26 11:09

I am interested that the processing of the meats mentioned here is not seen as the culprit as opposed to the meats themselves. For decades we, the healthy food people, have searched meat counters for non Nitrate and Nitrate preserved bacon, ham, sausage, and the like. Large quantities of red meat may promote bowel cancer but the steak eating American public should all have been sick by now. Actually the Nitrates in the processed meats turn into Nitrosamines (described as having potent carcinogenicity ) in the digestive system and the "government" has been looking for safe levels for awhile. Safe for me equals none because I have a de-toxing issue thanks to a tricky gene mutation (L 677 T) and am thankful someone is finally helping everyday food get healthier.

 

+2 # Khidr 2015-10-26 12:13

The Hindus have one up on the rest of Meat eating carnivores..... ...............

 

0 # nancyw 2015-10-26 12:41

The latest find of the skeletal remains of early hominids in Johannesburg shows we were plant eaters. Eat Right for Your Type (meaning blood) says that mainly type O is the only one that can safely eat and actually needs red meat such as beef. The rest of us - lots of plants and maybe a lamb or mutton once in awhile..Perhaps we are still a mixed species of Neanderthal and Cro-Magnon... some can eat meat and others shouldn't...

 

0 # ericlipps 2015-10-26 18:01

Very ancient hominids were plant eaters because they couldn't GET much meat: indeed, they were prey themselves. As hominids became capable of hunting, meat entered their diets. Vegetarianism is a choice, though my grandparents had a friend who almost died in the womb because her mother was a vegetarian and didn't get enough protein and B vitamins.

Today, of course, one can get B vitamins from supplements, but any diet that needs to be backed up with pills isn't a good one.

 

+1 # PABLO DIABLO 2015-10-26 13:00

"If God didn't want us to eat animals, He shouldn't have made them out of meat". --- Homer Simpson

 

+1 # djnova50 2015-10-26 13:15

All humans are born to be omnivores. Look at the teeth. If we were meant to be carnivores, we would have teeth more like leopards. If we were meant to be herbivores, our teeth would resemble those of sheep. Our teeth are varied in order to accommodate a variety of foods.

My concern with these studies that I've been reading about processed meats is the elements that go into processing that meat. Like monosodium glutamate, modified corn starch, sodium diacetate, sodium nitrate, sodium phosphate, sodium erythorbate, or any number of colors or preservatives.

I don't buy meat at the store, mostly because of the cost. I don't think eating Spam once or twice a year is going to cause cancer, if a person is otherwise eating a nutritionally balanced diet.

 

+1 # John of Milpitas 2015-10-26 14:25

Our eyes, like most other omnivores, are in front of our heads. If we were meant to be herbivores our eyes would be on the sides. Moderation is key.

How Climate Change Is Responsible for Record-Breaking Hurricanes Like Patricia

“Record-setting hurricanes are consistent with predictions by climate researchers about the consequences of a warming world.” Hurricane Patricia was a recent reminder of the consequences of a warming planet, here's why.

Published: October 26, 2015 | Authors: Andrea Germanos | EcoWatch | News Report

nationofchange.org

Hurricane Patricia—the most intense hurricane ever recorded in the Western Hemisphere—was downgraded to a tropical depression with 35-mph sustained winds on Saturday, and offered to some observers a reminder of the consequences of a warming planet.

No fatalities from the historic storm, which forced the evacuation of some 50,000 people, have yet been reported, and initial reporting indicates no major devastation, damages from potential heavy winds, rains and landslides are still unfolding as the storm makes its way inland.

By Saturday morning, Patricia had been downgraded to a Category 2. The National Hurricane Center reports, “On the forecast track, the center of Patricia will move across central and northeastern Mexico today and tonight.”

The New York Times reports:
The hurricane spared the densely populated centers of Puerto Vallarta and Manzanillo; it appears to have done the most damage to small villages between the two cities. For many in these impoverished communities, it could take much time to recover from even moderate damage.

The Weather Channel notes that flooding and mudslides remain potentially deadly threats, and adds: “El Universal reported that multiple homes were severely damaged and banana and papaya crops were destroyed in Michoacan state. Mud and landslides closed several roads in the region. Some homes in Cuyultan, Colima, were flooded.”

Before making landfall Friday evening along Mexico’s Pacific coast with sustained winds of 165 mph, the then-Category 5 storm was packing winds of 200 mph. “These are the highest reliably-measured surface winds on record for a tropical cyclone, anywhere on the Earth,” meteorologist Jeff Masters wrote.

Masters and fellow meteorologist Bob Henson described Patricia as “stunning, historic, mind-boggling, and catastrophic.” They add that it’s “the fastest-intensifying hurricane ever observed in the Western Hemisphere,” and that Patricia’s “200 mph sustained winds make it the 3rd strongest tropical cyclone in world history.”

“How did Patricia get to be so strong?” meteorologist Eric Holthaus asks at Slate.

The answer, quite simply, involves human-caused climate change. Hurricane Patricia is exactly the kind of terrifying storm we can expect to see more frequently in the decades to come. Although there’s no way to know exactly how much climate change is a factor in Patricia’s explosive strengthening, it’s irresponsible, at this point, not to discuss it.

“Meteorologically,” Holthaus adds, “there are at least four reasons why global warming could have contributed to Patricia’s ferocity: El Niño, exceptionally warm ocean temperatures, increased atmospheric humidity and sea level rise.”

The Washington Post also notes that “record-setting hurricanes are consistent with predictions by climate researchers about the consequences of a warming world.”

The Post continues:
The oceans heating up because of climate change will have consequences, said Michael Mann, a climate researcher at Penn State University. “Hurricane Patricia, and her unprecedented 200 mile-per-hour sustained winds, appears to be one of them now, unfortunately.”

Such consequences were undeniable to Mexico’s climate negotiator at the Bonn, Germany climate talks, which concluded Friday and where delegates sought to hammer out a draft climate treaty ahead of the upcoming COP21 talks in Paris.
Reportedly holding back tears, Roberto Dondisch urged the other delegates to reach consensus on a deal.

“In about four hours, Hurricane Patricia will hit the Mexican coast,” Dondisch said. “I don’t think I need to say more about the urgency to get this deal done.”

Yet climate change campaigners say the Bonn talks failed to make the needed progress.

“The deplorable inaction at the climate negotiations is a calamity for people across the world,” said Dipti Bhatnagar, Friends of the Earth International’s climate justice and energy coordinator. “We are facing a planetary emergency with floods, storms, droughts and rising seas causing devastation. The risk of irreversible climate change draws ever closer, and hundreds of thousands of people have already paid with their lives.”

Americans Opposed to Being Shot Seek Representation in Washington

Wayne LaPierre of the NRA. (photo: Michael Reynolds/EPA)

By Andy Borowitz, The New Yorker

05 October 15
readersupportednews.org

 

mericans who are opposed to being shot, a constituency that has historically failed to find representation in Washington, are making a new effort to make its controversial ideas heard in the nation’s capital.

“When you bring up the idea of not wanting to be shot with members of Congress, there’s always been pushback,” Carol Foyler, founder of the lobbying group Americans Opposed to Being Shot, said. “Their reaction has been, basically, ‘Not being shot: who’s going to support something like that?’”

Foyler, however, believes that the right to not be shot, much like women’s right to vote, the right to same-sex marriage, and other rights that were deemed controversial in their day, may be an idea whose time has finally come.

“For years, we’ve been talking about the right to not be shot and people have been looking at us like we’re out of our minds,” she said. “But recent polls show that a vast majority of Americans, in fact, do not want to be shot.”

While Foyler and other anti-being-shot activists believe that Washington may finally be receptive to their radical ideas, Wayne LaPierre, the executive vice-president of the National Rifle Association, is doubtful. “People who don’t want to be shot are a very narrow interest group,” he said.

4 Big Lies About Immigrants - And the Truth

Robert Reich. (photo: Richard Morgenstein)

By Robert Reich, Robert Reich's Blog

23 October 15

readersupportednews.org

 

onald Trump has opened the floodgates to lies about immigration. Here are the myths, and the facts.

MYTH: Immigrants take away American jobs.

Wrong. Immigrants add to economic demand, and thereby push firms to create more jobs.

MYTH: We don’t need any more immigrants.

Baloney. The U.S. population is aging. Twenty-five years ago, each retiree in America was matched by 5 workers. Now for each retiree there are only 3 workers. Without more immigration, in 15 years the ratio will fall to 2 workers for every retiree, not nearly enough to sustain our retiree population.

MYTH: Immigrants are a drain on public budgets.

Bull. Immigrants pay taxes! The Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy released a report this year showing undocumented immigrants paid $11.8 billion in state and local taxes in 2012 and their combined nationwide state and local tax contributions would increase by $2.2 billion under comprehensive immigration reform.

MYTH: Legal and illegal immigration is increasing.

Wrong again. The net rate of illegal immigration into the U.S. is less than zero. The number of undocumented immigrants living in the U.S. has declined from 12.2 million in 2007 to 11.3 million now, according to Pew Research Center.

Don’t listen to the demagogues who want to blame the economic problems of the middle class and poor on new immigrants, whether here legally or illegally. The real problem is the economic game is rigged in favor of a handful at the top, who are doing the rigging.

We need to pass comprehensive immigration reform, giving those who are undocumented a path to citizenship.

Scapegoating them and other immigrants is shameful.

And it’s just plain wrong.

   
Comments

 

+44 # Activista 2015-10-23 13:42

Most of the immigrants are now from Central America - we need to support democratic regimes there - and free movement of people north and south.
South America is changing for better - hopefully this change will come North - all the way to USA.
We should do what Canada did - next election is our last chance.

+44 # reiverpacific 2015-10-23 17:20

Quoting Activista:

Most of the immigrants are now from Central America - we need to support democratic regimes there - and free movement of people north and south.
South America is changing for better - hopefully this change will come North - all the way to USA.
We should do what Canada did - next election is our last chance.

Yep; and guess who created, armed, trained and buttressed the oligarchic Banana Republics and death-squads that kept 'em in place for >half of the 20th Century, most recently Honduras, which is the source of the most recent rush of predominantly child refugees fleeing from the latest CIA-supported coup of Mauel Zelay's left-populist, overwhelmingly popularly-elect ed government, just as they did with Arbenz's Guatemalan regime in 1954 and have been doing consistently in C. America and around the world ever since.

-36 # Junius 2015-10-23 17:43

MYTH: Immigrants take away American jobs.

Wrong. Immigrants add to economic demand, and thereby push firms to create more jobs.

Obviously, more people means more demand, but Reich doesn't address the "myth."

+4 # kalpal 2015-10-24 11:46

Faith is based in faith and only faith. I am an old man and the only time I've ever heard that immigrants take away American jobs is on RW TV.

+13 # GDW 2015-10-23 17:47

This nation was founded by immigrants and like today were determined to make a better life. Immigrants are what makes America great'
The CIA's hand is around the world but who it represents is the question. The government, big business interests or the American people. The sins of our past will haunt us

+5 # kalpal 2015-10-24 11:51

Faith is based in faith, mostly baseless faith. I keep hearing the same stuff I find in history books from the civil war era about how the Irish are debasing the nation and taking away jobs. Then it was the Asians, Catholics from Italy, The Greeks, The Jews. Always it was an impending apocalypse coming next month or next year.

+21 # Billsy 2015-10-23 18:35

Relax, develop some tolerance & acceptance and give it a generation. Children always wish to blend in culturally.

+16 # GDW 2015-10-23 18:34

Immigrants need to be legalized, and unionized.

+9 # Robbee 2015-10-23 19:11

lie! - # reiverpacific 2015-10-23 17:20
Quoting Activista:
"next election is our last chance."

- next election is the primaries - bernie is overall the most progressive dem - but in most areas, path to citizenship, women, unions, environment, trade deals that attack labor, so on, hill is just as progressive

my point is, for progressives, there is no last chance ever! there is only, for now, a better choice than hill - go bernie!

the sky is not falling - it has fallen - on us - congress does not regulate wall street; wall street regulates congress - it's time to get to work - our 1st chance is next year's primary, and, for each of us, wherever we live, it's not just about supporting a progressive for prez - it's about supporting progressives for state and local office too - go progressives!

+4 # iris.1 2015-10-23 19:34

SOMEBODT please get these lectures onto the desks of the déficit hawks in congress! I doublt that any of them have studied economics.

+7 # Buddha 2015-10-23 19:35

Truth has a very difficult time against racist hate and explicit bias fueled willful ignorance. This is why Right Wing demagogues keep spewing their racist lies, it works on the rubes and stokes their fears and preconceptions against "the other", it is like shooting fish in a barrel. Trump the carnival barker knows his audience...