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ENB #42 Iran Cooperation, Army Desertions Up, Boeing Spying on Employees, Climate Witnesses
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transcript:
HELLO I’M RICHARD BLUESTEIN AND THIS IS THE ECLECTIC NEWSBRieF FOR SATURDAY NOVEMBER 17, 2007. THIS PODCAST IS SPONSORED BY PODSHOW AND GODADDY.COM. CHECK OUT WITH CODES INSANE1, INSANE2, OR INSANE3 TO SAVE UP TO 10% WHEN YOU CHECK OUT AT GODADDY.COM. WE ALSO HAVE A NEW SPONSOR. I’LL BE RIGHT BACK AFTER THEIR AD.
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ACCORDING TO THE LA TIMES, IRAN IS APPARENTLY LIVING UP TO ITS PROMISE TO TRY TO HALT THE FLOW OF IEDS AND OTHER EXPLOSIVES TO IRAQ. WHAT WILL BUSHCHENEY’S NEXT LAME EXUSE TO BOMB IRAN USING NUCLEAR WARHEADS BE? PERHAPS THAT IRAN HANGS GAY PEOPLE IN PUBLIC SQUARES? NO THAT WOULD MAKE BUSH APPEAR PRO-GAY.
THE LA TIMES REPORTS THAT US MAJOR GENERAL JAMES SIMMONS SAID QUOTE “WE HAVE NOT SEEN ANY RECENT EVIDENCE THAT WEAPONS CONTINUE TO COME ACROSS THE BORDER INTO IRAQ”. THE NUMBER OF BOMB ATTACKS HAS BEEN CUT IN HALF SINCE MARCH.
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THE HOUSTON CHRONICLE REPORTS THAT ARMY DESERTIONS HAVE CLIMBED AN ASTONISHING 80% SINCE THE IRAN INVASION. THE DESERTION RATE IS ALSO THE HIGHEST SINCE 1980. MORE THAN 70% OF THE DESERTERS ARE MEN IN THEIR FIRST YEAR OF ENLISTMENT.
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ACCORDING TO A STORY IN THE REGISTER, THE AIRCRAP MANUFACTURER BOEING IS SPYING ON ITS OWN EMPLOYEES AND ITS PERFECTLY LEGAL. YOU MAY RECALL SOME TIME AGO THERE WAS A BIG SHAKE-UP AT HEWLETT PACKARD BECAUSE THE CEO WAS SPYING ON BOARD MEMBERS. HOWEVER WHILE HP’S SPYING WAS ILLEGAL BECAUSE IT INVOLVED OBTAINING PRIVATE TELEPHONE RECORDS OF THE BOARD MEMBERS. BOEING’S ACTIVITIES ARE LEGAL BECAUSE THEY INVOLVE SPYING ON PEOPLE IN PUBLIC SETTINGS. THE SPYING AT BOEING AMOUNTS TO THE COMPANY HIRING PRIVATE DETECTIVES TO FOLLOW EMPLOYEES AROUND ON THEIR LUNCH HOURS, AND USING VIDEO SURVEILLANCE ON THE UNKNOWING EMPLOYEES AS WELL. UNDER WASHINGTON STATE’S STALKING LAW, LICENSED PRIVATE INVESTIGATORS QUOTE ACTING WITHIN THE CAPACITY OF HIS OR HER LICENSE” ARE ALLOWED TO REPEATEDLY FOLLOWED A PERSON. HOWEVER, BOEING’S INTERNAL INVESTIGATORS ARE EXEMPT FROM THE STATE LAW WHICH WOULD REQUIRE THEM TO OBTAIN A PRIVATE INVESTIGATOR LICENSE. ACCORDING TO SEATTLIEPI.COM, ONE OF THE EMPLOYEES OF BOING WAS SPIED UPON BECAUSE HE SPOKE TO THE MEDIA ABOUT BOEING’S LACK OF COMPLIANCE WITH A 2002 CORPORATE REFORM LAW. INSTEAD OF BOEING FIXING THE COMPLIANCE PROBLEM, IT USED PRIVATE INVESTIGATORS TO SPY ON THE WHISTLEBLOWER AND EVENTUALLY FIRED HIM. EXPERTS SAY THAT YOU ARE TOTALLY UNPROTECTED LEGALLY FROM CORPORATE SPYING UNTIL YOU ENTER YOUR HOME. THIS MEANS THAT IF YOU ARE CHECKING YOUR PRIVATE EMAIL AT WORK, YOUR COMPANY CAN OBTAIN IT, READ IT, AND USE IT AGAINST YOU. SO THATS’ NICE.
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A NEW INITIATIVE AT THE WORLD WILDLIFE FUND IS AIMING TO COLLECT LOTS OF REAL WORLD EXAMPLES OF THE IMPACT OF CLIMATE CHANGE THROUGHOUT THE WORLD. THE WWF COLLECTS INFORMATION FROM PEOPLE CALLED *CLIMATE WITNESSES* WHICH IS THEN COLLECTED AND REVIEWED BY SICENTISTS TO SEE IF THE CLIMATE WITNESS’ REPORTS ARE CONSISTENT WITH KNOWN CLIMATE CHANGE TRENDS. THE WWF’S PRESS REALEASE SAYS QUOTE CLIMATE CHANGE IS STILL VIEWED BY SOME AS SOME ABSTRACT AND REMOTE THREAT. THE CLIMATE WITNESS PROGRAM SHOWS THAT ITS SOMETHING THAT’S HAPPENING NOW AND AFFECTING THE LIVES OF PEOPLE AROUND THE GLOBE. FOR EXAMPLE, THERE HAVE BEEN EIGHT MASS BLEACHING EVENTS ON THE GREAT BARRIER REEF SINCE 1979. THESE BLEACHINGS WERE TRIGGERED BY UNUSUALLY HIGH SEA SURFACE TEMPERATURES. THESE BLEACHINGS HAVE CAUSED LOSSES OF 10% OF THE GREAT BARRIER REEF DIVING SITES JUST IN THE PAST FOUR YEARS. ONE CLIMATE WITNESS IS NORWEIGIAN REINDEER HERDER OLAV MATHIS. MATHIS REPORTS THAT THE HIGHER TEMPERATURES CAUSE ICING WHICH MEAN THE RAINDEER CANNOT GET TO THEIR FOOD IN THE WINTER. BY COLLECTING ANNECDOTES FROM CLIMATE WITNESSES SUCH AS MATHIS, THE WWF HOPES TO GIVE WORLD CITIZENS AN UNDERSTANDING OF THE EXTREME DAMAGE THAT CLIMATE CHANGE IS CAUSING TO THE EARTH. I WOULD ADD THAT AT THE SAME TIME THE BUSH ADMINISTRATION WORKS HARD TO COVER UP AND SOFTEN SCIENTIFIC REPORTS OF THE DANGERS OF CLIMATE CHANGE TO MAKE CORPORATIONS HAPPY WHILE THEIR KIDS FACE A FUTURE OF A MAD MAX MEETS WATERWORLD LIFESTYLE. YOU CAN’T TAKE IT WITH YOU.
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THAT’S ALL FOR TODAY. PLEASE SEND STORY IDEAS OR QUESTIONS TO RICHARD@BLUESTEIN.COM. I’M RICHARD BLUESTEIN AND DIT WAS HET NIEWS.
