Friday, 6. April 2012

The Koch Brothers - Aljazeera


Charles and David Koch are each worth about $25bn, which makes them the fourth richest Americans. When you combine their fortunes, they are the third wealthiest people in the world. Radical libertarians who use their money to oppose government and virtually all regulation as interference with the free market, the Kochs are in a class of their own as players on the American political stage. Their web of influence in the US stretches from state capitals to the halls of congress in Washington DC.

The Koch brothers fueled the conservative Tea Party movement that vigorously opposes Barack Obama, the US president. They fund efforts to derail action on global warming, and support politicians who object to raising taxes on corporations or the wealthy to help fix America’s fiscal problems. According to New Yorker writer Jane Mayer, who wrote a groundbreaking exposé of the Kochs in 2010, they have built a top to bottom operation to shape public policy that has been "incredibly effective. They are so rich that their pockets are almost bottomless, and they can keep pouring money into this whole process".

Koch industries, the second largest privately-held company in the US, is an oil refining, chemical, paper products and financial services company with revenues of a $100bn a year. Virtually every American household has some Koch product - from paper towels and lumber, to Stainmaster carpet and Lycra in sports clothes, to gasoline for cars. The Koch’s political philosophy of rolling back environmental and financial regulations is also beneficial to their business interests.

wiki/Koch_family

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France election 2012: Nicolas Sarkozy bans cheese from Elysée Palace


It is an admission that is verging on sacrilegious for a French president. But Nicolas Sarkozy's top chef has revealed that the French head of state has banned cheese from the table at the Elysée Palace.

France election 2012: Nicolas Sarkozy bans cheese from Elysée Palace

telegraph.co.uk

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Photosynthese - Das grüne Wunder


Photosynthese ist der wichtigste Prozess unter der Sonne - ohne sie gäbe es kein Leben auf der Erde. Könnte der Mensch sie beherrschen, wäre er seine Energiesorgen los. Forscher arbeiten daran.

Sallie Chisholm redet nicht lange drum herum: "Ich finde, dass sich jeder Mensch jeden Tag vor der Sonne verbeugen sollte. Und danach vor einer Pflanze." Sie meint das weder ironisch, noch steht sie im Verdacht, esoterisch angehaucht zu sein. Sie findet nur, dass die Leistungen der Natur nicht genügend gewürdigt werden. "Manchmal wache ich morgens auf und denke, ich dreh' durch, weil sich niemand darum kümmert."

Ihr Kopfschütteln über die Ignoranz der Welt kommt nicht von ungefähr: Seit 25 Jahren erforscht die Ökologin vom Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) Mikroben, die das Meer bevölkern und denen das Leben auf der Erde viel zu verdanken hat. In den Ozeanen leben so viele von ihnen, dass Chisholm sie gar als "unsichtbaren Wald" bezeichnet. Unsichtbar, weil er unter der Meeresoberfläche verborgen liegt. Unsichtbar aber auch,

spiegel.de

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Poland to ban Monsanto's GM maize


Poland will impose a complete ban on growing the MON810 genetically modified strain of maize made by US company Monsanto on its territory, Agriculture Minister Marek Sawicki said Wednesday.

"The decree is in the works. It introduces a complete ban on the MON810 strain of maize in Poland," Sawicki told reporters, adding that pollen of this strain could have a harmful effect on bees.

afp gmwatch.org wiki/MON_810

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LHC is back with big energy boost


The Large Hadron Collider (LHC) is operating again after its winter break.

Early on Thursday, opposing stable beams of protons were smashed into each other at four observation positions.

The total collision energy in these bunches of sub-atomic particles was eight trillion electron volts - a world record.

bbc.co.uk

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5000+ Artists Line Up For a Pirate Bay Promotion


Record labels and Hollywood have described The Pirate Bay as one of the biggest threats to their business, but thousands of artists clearly disagree with this view. In recent weeks more than 5000 independent artists have signed up to be promoted by the world’s largest torrent site. Those who were lucky enough to be featured are overwhelmed by the career boost and the positive responses from the public.

torrentfreak.comthepiratebay.se

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Jim Marshall, Founder of Marshall Amplifiers, Dies


Jim Marshall, the inventor who changed the sound of rock music, has died at age 88, according to a statement issued by the company that bears his name.

A drummer by trade, in the early ‘60s Marshall invented what became known as the Marshall JTM 45 guitar amplifier, seen by many guitarists as an improvement over the then-state-the-art Fender Bassman. In subsequent years, Marshall, who had been selling musical equipment out of a small shop in London, increased the effectiveness of the amps, which continue to be fitted with his name in white script against a black background.

wsj.com latimes.com nytimes.com nme.com

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ANF DG removed


ISLAMABAD: Anti-Narcotics Force Director General Major General Syed Shakil Hussain has been removed from his post, while government spokesperson said that his services have been taken back by the Army.

thenews.com.pk

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Nose Dose - Cocaine Simulator for android


Nose Dose: Snort Cocaine Simulator, finally for android the snorting coke app that you were looking for. Show iPhone users an app that they can´t get.

This app is perfect for sharing some laughs together with your friends at the bar or the club.

Latest version: 1.1 (für Android version 2.1 and höher, supports App2SD)

Nose Dose Latest version: 1.1 (für Android version 2.1 and höher, supports App2SD)

appbrain.com youtube.com

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Snoop Dogg’s new smokable book ‘Rolling Words’


A truly fantastic idea by San Francisco agency Pereira & O’Dell to promote Snoop Dogg’s Kingsize Slim Rolling Papers: Rolling Words. Rolling Words is a book made entirely out of hemp where each page is a rolling paper with Snoop Dogg’s lyrics and witticisms written on them (in non-toxic ink of course). Also, the spine of the book has a match striking surface so you can smoke up on the run.

Folks attending Coachella this year will get to sample Snoop’s creation.

thedieline.com

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Puff, Puff, PASS! 10 Rappers Who Have Quit Smoking Weed


It's no secret that rappers like weed. From Method Man and Redman to Wiz Khalifa and Snoop Dogg, there have been dozens of rappers who have proclaimed their love for the greenery over the years. They've included marijuana references in their songs. They've appeared in music videos surrounded by smoke. And they've even come out and publicly endorsed the benefits of smoking. As a result, you'd think weed was actually legal if you've listened to these rappers enough.

vibe.com

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Video für ACTA-Aktionstag am 9. Juni


Über das erste Mobilisierungsvideo den internationalen Aktionstag gegen ACTA am 9. Juni 2012 hatten wir gestern schon berichtet. Mittlerweile gibt es den Clip dank einer internationalen Zusammenarbeit in diversen Sprachen, weitere sind in Arbeit. Alle weiteren werden in den Youtube-Kanal StopACTAeurope hochgeladen. Es gibt auch bereits eine erste Karte für die Demonstrationen.

netzpolitik.org

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