Politics & Current Affairs — July 3, 2009

Did that ad say tar sands are source of ‘clean oil’? Don’t believe it.

The dirtiest corporations in existence characterize themselves as ‘green’ and ‘environmentally friendly.’ Be Discerning! Young journalists and filmmakers force us to visually accept the reality of all the hype.

Vicki Nikolaidis

Corporations characterizing themselves as caring for the environment is a dangerous precedent . . . we are so easily hypnotized when we hear or see a trademark coupled with “we’re clean, we’re clean.” over and over again.

One of the worst is Shell. The damage to the Niger Delta is criminal, sinful, tragic and if there are worse adjectives they would fit here.

Small Planet Films has a great DVD on The Niger Delta, I highly recommend. The damage from oil drilling simply isn’t worth the thrill of thoughtlessly filling up a car with gas.

The DVD is titled “Delta -Oil’s Dirty Business”

http://www.smallplanet.gr/en/hot-docs/delta-oils-dirty-business.htm

And

www.Babelgum.com has an excellent documentary on oil from tar sands in Canada.

The film is titled “Downstream.”

http://www.babelgum.com/html/clip.php?clipId=3015242

Watch these films with a friend or neighbor who thinks oil is a fine way to get our energy!

a computer generated image of a human brain.

Thinking

The great free will debate featuring Michio Kaku and Steven Pinker

Who — or what — really controls your mind?

Building destroyed by the Halifax Explosion. Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division Washington, D.C.

The Past

The largest accidental explosion of all time

More than a century ago, Halifax suffered an accidental blast one-fifth the size of the atomic bomb dropped on Hiroshima.

a collage of photos of a man with a hat and a book.

High Culture

6 great books with wildly unreliable narrators

Dive into the twisted truths and concealed realities told by literature’s most unreliable narrators.

a group of five matches on a pink background.

The Well

Signs you’re burned out — and how to bounce back

If you don’t feel better after the weekend, the “burnout paradox” could explain why.

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7 min

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with

Laurie Santos

Starts With A Bang

The trick to instantly identifying JWST images

If you can identify a foreground star, the spike patterns are a dead giveaway as to whether it’s a JWST image or any other observatory.

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