Everyone knows that third party candidates have a rough time in the media, if not for the fact that outlets who favor Democrats or Republicans don’t like third parties, then simply because they think people are uninterested in hearing about them. And anyone who’s interested in seeing third parties do well in elections knows that this is somewhat of a self-fulfilling prophecy; news outlets don’t adequately cover third-party candidates, meaning fewer people hear about them, which in turn means that not many people end up voting for them on election day. We all know this to be an intrinsic reality of our democracy, but I’m staring at this first-hand, right now, and we all need to see it.
Continue reading This is how negative feedback in politics worksA picture says a thousand words, and the big smiles across the faces of the insider candidates for governor in their pre-debate photo-op with disgraced Speaker of the House Tom Finneran says it all.
From a Jill Stein press release:
Continue reading Lovefest on WRKO with Beacon Hill insidersEXCLUSIONARY GUBERNATORIAL DEBATE WAS DISSERVICE TO VOTERS, STEIN CHARGES
BOSTON – Following today’s gubernatorial debate on WRKO, gubernatorial candidate Jill Stein noted that “In this debate, Tim Cahill, Charlie Baker, and Deval Patrick cozied up with the disgraced former House Speaker Tom Finneran to give the voters of the Commonwealth a very narrow vision of the state’s future. The failing policies of the Beacon Hill machines were endorsed as great ideas and real solutions were kept off the table. We’re going to work hard to break up this tedious deception and let the voters hear a real alternative to business as usual in Massachusetts.”
The debate was hosted by Finneran and included only three of the four gubernatorial candidates. The Green-Rainbow Party candidate, Stein, was excluded from the debate, whose producers declined to return numerous phone calls from the campaign requesting that Stein be allowed to participate.
After noting that the three candidates invited by Finneran found themselves agreeing on issue after issue, Stein offered the following critique of the debate (below the fold):
Methane (CH4) is a much more effective greenhouse gas than CO2. Methane is also fuel, natural gas. Methane can be made from animal and human dung as well as other kinds of waste.
In Nepal, it is known as Gobar Gas:
“Gobar” is the Nepali word for cow dung. The “Gas” refers to biogas derived from the natural decay of dung, other waste products, and any biomass. In Nepal, villagers use buffalo, cow, human, and other waste products for biogas production. Pig and chicken dung are used in some places, as are raw kitchen wastes, including rotted vegetation….
The Nepalese government built nearly 200 small biogas plants in 1975/6, but decentralized methane digestion truly took off in 1992 when the Dutch group, SNV, launched a large program, including subsidy mechanisms and microfinance schemes, which led to the installation of approximately 204,000 units to date.
Michael Yon wonders if this could also work in Afghanistan.
Continue reading Gas Production and Gas ReleaseToday is Democracy Day in Massachusetts, and so far, I have to say that I am moved by this very grassroots action. I see startling signs of life in an otherwise morbid political discourse. It’s dark and wet out my window but the sunshine is breaking through over at DemocracyDays.com.
The WRKO petition just reached 50 signers, and Democracy Day has seen over 50 small donors pool their contributions to raise their voices in unison for a functional, vibrant democracy in Massachusetts.
Here’s my little take on Democracy Day:
But please add your own, and think of creative ways of spreading this around, of capturing and articulating our deepest hopes for our communities and the Commonwealth as a whole. Please help this grassroots effort make a big splash. If you haven’t already, please sign the petition, and make a small investment in a healthy democracy for all of us.
Spread the word. It’s up to us!
Continue reading Democracy in Massachusetts? It’s Up To Us
Thomas Bjelkeman Pettersson on the global swadeshi ning is working on a “flat-pack emergency home” which includes most of what you need for a functional emergency (or camping) home.
Continue reading Global Swadeshi: Flat-Pack Emergency HomeWe intend to actually put together a working demonstration and show that this can be done for under a couple of hundred dollars/euros.
The demonstration will most likely include the following:
Housing / shelter
Hexayurt – our favorite emergency shelter system
Water purification
Siphon filter – an in production unit, costs around $10, made in India.
ChlorinationLight and power
Nova S201 – solar light and mobile phone charger
The major media outlets have been working overtime to silence the one gubernatorial candidate who refuses to take money from corporate lobbyists and from corporate executives who hire lobbyists. Green-Rainbow Party candidate Jill Stein has launched an impressive grassroots attack on politics-as-usual, and has recently surged from 3% in the polls to 8% despite an overall media whiteout. Major newspapers are excluding her from coverage, and the first broadcast gubernatorial debate held by WRKO-AM’s “Tom and Todd” show is trying to keep her off the roster.
We can change that.
Sunday, Jun 13th, 12:30-5:00 pm
Last call, we still need at least 20 people!
Weatherization Barnraising at the Democracy Center
Right in Harvard Square
45 Mt. Auburn St.
(Leakiest site we’ve every seen! Over 18,000 cubic feet per minute as measured by the blower door.)
Home Energy Efficiency Team
http://www.heetma.com
CONTACTS: Michaelann Bewsee, 413-734-4948 or 413-455-3829 and Meg
Sheehan, 508-259-9154
PRESS CONFERENCE: Wednesday June 9, 4:40 p.m., informational session
4:15 to 5:30 p.m.
WHERE: Springfield, MA, Pynchon Park on the corner of State and Chestnut Streets, next to the main branch of the Springfield Library
immediately prior to the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection’s hearing on the Global Warming Solutions Act.
WHO: Stop Toxic Incineration In Springfield, Arise for Social Justice, Concerned Citizens of Russell, The Enviro Show, Stop Spewing
Carbon Campaign, Massachusetts Forest Watch, Pioneer Valley Preservation Coalition, Concerned Citizens of Franklin County, Students for a Just and Stable Society and McKnight Neighborhood
Council in Springfield.
A coalition of health, social justice, and environmental groups is letting the state and federal governments know that biomass
incinerators are not a climate change solution but make are a public health and climate disaster and the state should not be promoting them.
“Giving taxpayer and ratepayer subsidies to incinerators that burn trees and garbage is not a “global warming solution” but a health and
climate disaster” said Meg Sheehan, Chair of the Stop Spewing Carbon Ballot Question Committee. “Incinerators are not “green” energy. The
five incinerators proposed for the area will emit pollutants such as mercury and dioxin, some of the most toxic chemicals known to science. They will give us only 1% more electricity but add 11% more carbon dioxide to the air.” Sheehan said.
If you’ve been paying attention to the discussion of high-speed rail since Obama took office, you know that there’s been movement towards building more high-speed corridors to add to the current count of one (the Amtrak “Acela” train in the Northeast Corridor that runs between Boston and DC). ( In fact, Wired.com put together a feature on this a few months ago with pretty pictures of the proposed corridors, which you can check out here: http://www.wired.com/magazine/… )
It’s not explicitly mentioned in the Wired article, but there’s been talk for some time of a high-speed link between Boston and Montreal. I really like the idea of rail, and especially high-speed rail, since it helps get cars off the roads for long hauls (in many instances, along corridors like I-95 when a long car ride south means sitting in multiple metro regions’ traffic anyway). And if they could figure out a way to make it competitive with air travel, that would be even better.
Continue reading Help support more high-speed rail in Massachusetts and beyondThe following is from OpenMedia Boston. I’ve seen Ms. Mai’s work, and she is not only a TERRIFIC photographer–she shows up. We complain about our non-access to mainstream media–here’s a chance to support the best alterna media channel in Boston. HIT THE LINK AT END for how to help.
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Last week our ace staff photographer Diana Mai had all her camera equipment (and a Dell laptop) stolen from her Mission Hill apartment.
Continue reading We, The Media III: A Media Cause Deserving of Your Immediate Support