The UN [ will try to investigate ]( http://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/sep/01/un-investigators-iraq-islamic-state-atrocities ) atrocities committed by ISIS, and lesser atrocities committed by the Iraqi government army.
Ссылка: https://stallman.org/archives/2014-jul-oct.html#02_September_2014_%28UN_to_investigate_ISIS_atrocities%29

[ Sample weather forecasts for 2050 ]( http://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/sep/01/un-weather-forecasts-2050-climate-change-floods-drought ) might show people what global heating means in practice. Remember that 2100 will be much worse than 2050. Our reality resembles the film, [ The Day the Earth Caught Fire ]( http://www.theguardian.com/environment/blog/2014/sep/01/doomed-earth-science-fiction-climate-reality ) , though not at the same speed. I think the writer doesn't really understand science fiction; he thinks it is supposed to be a comment on our world. As a famous critic (was it Samuel Delaney?) pointed out, people who don't really understand science fiction tend to perceive it as allegory, a comment on something else, rather than a fictional world in which the events described happen. This is the heart of science fiction. I once heard a song on the radio that talked about birds' disappearing in the sky. What an alarming idea! I recall imagining what I'd ask if I saw that really happen. Were they being destroyed, or transported elsewhere? What's the cause — a natural phenomenon, a technological accident, a weapon? Would it get me next? Then I realized the song did not mean it literally, only that the birds were flying off into the distance. How pedestrian! Their disappearance would have been far more interesting. This made me realize that I have a science-fictional way of understanding a story.
Ссылка: https://stallman.org/archives/2014-jul-oct.html#02_September_2014_%28Weather_forecasts_for_2050%29

Ahead of proposing mining projects in northern Australia, the Australian government is [ cutting funds for monitoring environmental damage ]( http://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/sep/01/csiro-cuts-to-northern-territory-indigenous-research-concerning ) there.
Ссылка: https://stallman.org/archives/2014-jul-oct.html#02_September_2014_%28Smoothing_the_way_for_mining_projects%29

The US is developing [ tiny neural modulators ]( http://www.extremetech.com/extreme/188908-darpas-tiny-implants-will-hook-directly-into-your-nervous-system-treat-diseases-and-depression-without-medication ) as implants to modify the function of particular nerves in the brain. I am suspicious of the idea of using this to treat arthritis. Arthritis is not a brain condition; it is a disorder of joints. A neural modulator might alter the sensation of pain from arthritis but that would not make the joint any better. It might over time do just the opposite.
Ссылка: https://stallman.org/archives/2014-jul-oct.html#02_September_2014_%28Neural_modulators%29

US citizens: [ call on Congress ]( http://act.credoaction.com/sign/protect_workers_rights ) to pass the Employee Empowerment Act, which would make it illegal to discriminate against employees for trying to organize a union.
Ссылка: https://stallman.org/archives/2014-jul-oct.html#02_September_2014_%28Urgent%3A_Employee_Empowerment_Act%29

Proof that Wisconsin Governor Walker is indeed a target of the [ campaign violations investigation that a crony judge has halted ]( http://www.prwatch.org/news/2014/08/12582/Walker-Undermine-Criminal-Probe ) .
Ссылка: https://stallman.org/archives/2014-jul-oct.html#02_September_2014_%28Governor_Walker_target_of_campaign_violations_investigation%29

Easing Restrictions on Gaza [ Won't Create Conditions for Normal Life ]( http://www.haaretz.com/opinion/1.613438 ) Or Offer Any Economic Or Diplomatic Horizon.
Ссылка: https://stallman.org/archives/2014-jul-oct.html#02_September_2014_%28Easing_Restrictions_on_Gaza%29

40 years later, data vindicate the Limits to Growth study, suggesting that civilization is [ nearing the start of a collapse into global poverty ]( http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2014/sep/02/limits-to-growth-was-right-new-research-shows-were-nearing-collapse ) .
Ссылка: https://stallman.org/archives/2014-jul-oct.html#03_September_2014_%28Collapse_into_global_poverty%29

Medecins Sans Frontieres says military medical teams are needed in West Africa because [ health systems have collapsed ]( http://www.theguardian.com/society/2014/sep/02/ebola-outbreak-call-send-military-curb-epidemic ) . Infectious corpses are rotting in the streets and treatable diseases are klling people. The absence of medical care could kill a lot more people than Ebola is killing now. The panic could become worse than a civil war. Liberian nurses have [ gone on strike because they don't have proper equipment to protect them from catching Ebola ]( http://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/sep/02/ebola-liberian-nurses-strike-lack-protective-equipment ) from their patients. Shouldn't the US donate this equipment?
Ссылка: https://stallman.org/archives/2014-jul-oct.html#03_September_2014_%28Health_systems_have_collapsed_in_West_Africa%29

Barcelona faces the problem of [ an excess of tourism ]( http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2014/sep/02/mass-tourism-kill-city-barcelona ) , which threatens to force the residents out of the city, as a local consequence of broader problems: corruption and the debt-collecting government of occupation.
Ссылка: https://stallman.org/archives/2014-jul-oct.html#03_September_2014_%28Barcelona_faces_an_excess_of_tourism%29

The UK has [ exposed collusion and lying among the thugs ]( http://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2014/sep/01/plebgate-report-shows-metropolitan-police-colluded-conceal-truth ) that accused an important Tory politician of calling them "fucking plebs". Such collusion and lying is commonplace among thugs, to cover up other nasty things such as killing an innocent person. The system is set up to take it for truth — unless the victim is an important right-wing politician.
Ссылка: https://stallman.org/archives/2014-jul-oct.html#03_September_2014_%28Collusion_and_lying_among_thugs%29

The Israeli army took a Palestinian civilian hostage, then used him as a human shield, [ forcing him to search buildings for tunnels ]( http://www.dci-palestine.org/documents/israeli-forces-use-palestinian-child-human-shield-gaza ) . Israel repeatedly accuses Hamas of using civilians as human shields but there is no evidence this ever occurred.
Ссылка: https://stallman.org/archives/2014-jul-oct.html#03_September_2014_%28Israeli_army_used_Palestinian_civilian_as_human_shield%29

An Israeli soldier [ shot a Palestinian teenager in the head with a rubber-coated steel bullet ]( http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=724697 ) , fracturing his skull. This does not happen by accident: the soldiers are good shots, and the teenager was not expecting violence, so he was probably walking in a steady, predictable way.
Ссылка: https://stallman.org/archives/2014-jul-oct.html#03_September_2014_%28Israeli_soldier_shot_Palestinian_teenager_in_the_head%29

The [ winners and the losers of the latest battle in Gaza ]( http://972mag.com/the-victors-of-the-gaza-war-were-also-the-losers/96152/ ) .
Ссылка: https://stallman.org/archives/2014-jul-oct.html#03_September_2014_%28The_winners_and_the_losers_of_the_latest_battle_in_Gaza%29

US citizens: Call on Congress to [ pass the Voting Rights Amendments Act ]( http://act.credoaction.com/sign/voting_rights_amendment_act/ ) .
Ссылка: https://stallman.org/archives/2014-jul-oct.html#03_September_2014_%28Urgent%3A_Pass_the_Voting_Rights_Amendments_Act%29

The boycott of Israeli products is getting [ strong enough to make Israeli businesses pressure the government ]( http://therealnews.com/t2/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=31&Itemid=74&jumival=12285 ) .
Ссылка: https://stallman.org/archives/2014-jul-oct.html#03_September_2014_%28Boycott_of_Israeli_products%29

A Palestinian citizen of Israel, well accustomed to second-class citizenship, reports on the [ wave of increased racism and repression ]( http://972mag.com/israels-other-war-silencing-palestinian-citizens/95795/ ) . Widely repeated death threats against Arabs go unchecked, while Arabs that make sober criticism of war get fired or arrested.
Ссылка: https://stallman.org/archives/2014-jul-oct.html#03_September_2014_%28Increased_racism_in_Israel%29

India and China have announced [ they will downgrade their participation ]( http://www.theguardian.com/environment/2014/sep/02/chinese-president-xi-jinping-to-skip-ban-ki-moon-climate-meeting ) in the last-ditch meeting to try to avoid global heating disaster.
Ссылка: https://stallman.org/archives/2014-jul-oct.html#03_September_2014_%28Global_heating_disaster_meeting%29

A few Florida thugs listened to their consciences and reported that their chief was [ illegally giving them a quota for traffic tickets ]( http://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/sep/02/florida-traffic-ticket-trap ) . Will the chief be prosecuted? Will the tickets be refunded and the license points taken off?
Ссылка: https://stallman.org/archives/2014-jul-oct.html#03_September_2014_%28Traffic_ticket_quota_in_Florida%29

Some policies to reduce long-term global heating [ can increase short-term global heating ]( http://www.truth-out.org/news/item/25838-with-this-decades-climate-policy-expect-more-warming-than-if-nothing-was-done-at-all ) . This is because they reduce CO2 emissions but increase methane emissions. This issue becomes important if humanity gets its act together to reduce CO2 emissions enough to curb long-term global heating. If humanity fails to do so, as now appears likely, then this issue will only slightly change the timing of disaster.
Ссылка: https://stallman.org/archives/2014-jul-oct.html#03_September_2014_%28Curbing_long-term_global_heating%29

Two convicted murderers in North Carolina may be freed now that [ DNA evidence shows the real killer was someone else ]( http://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/sep/02/dna-evidence-north-carolina-death-mccollum-brown-artis ) . The thugs bullied the teenagers into confessing, then hid evidence that would have proved their innocence. Egregiously, the thugs seem to have actively blocked investigation of the real killer at the time. (Don't let inconvenient facts get in the way of the preferred theory.) It's as if the thugs were out to get those two teenagers, but why? I don't know, but I can guess a possible explanation. Is it possible that the teenagers were black and the real murderer was white? Will the detectives that committed this vicious act be put on trial?
Ссылка: https://stallman.org/archives/2014-jul-oct.html#03_September_2014_%28False_murder_convictions%29

In Germany, Uber has been renamed Unter: it is [ banned ]( http://www.theguardian.com/technology/2014/sep/02/car-sharing-uber-ban-taxi-germany ) . However, not for the sake of [ passengers' privacy ]( https://stallman.org/uber.html ) .
Ссылка: https://stallman.org/archives/2014-jul-oct.html#03_September_2014_%28Uber_banned_in_Germany%29

Advances in climate modelling have [ tied global heating to long droughts ]( http://www.theguardian.com/environment/climate-consensus-97-per-cent/2014/sep/02/global-warming-making-weather-more-extreme ) including the current drought in California.
Ссылка: https://stallman.org/archives/2014-jul-oct.html#03_September_2014_%28Global_heating_tied_to_droughts%29

The UK government has had to admit that that the [ TTIP would ban undoing the privatization of the NHS ]( http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2014/sep/02/eu-us-free-trade-deal-ttip-transatlantic-trade-investment-partnership ) . Its whole purpose is to put companies over the public. Is there any major party in the UK that opposes the TTIP? Please tell me if you know.
Ссылка: https://stallman.org/archives/2014-jul-oct.html#03_September_2014_%28TTIP_would_ban_undoing_privatization_of_NHS%29

The EU is requiring improved efficiency from electric appliances, and [ right-wing media are trying to make a scandal out of it ]( http://www.theguardian.com/environment/shortcuts/2014/sep/02/threat-to-vacuum-cleaners-daily-mail-energy-efficiency ) .
Ссылка: https://stallman.org/archives/2014-jul-oct.html#03_September_2014_%28EU_requiring_better_energy_efficiency%29

A judge rejected release of photos of Mohammed al-Qahtani, because [ seeing how he was tortured might make people angry at the US ]( http://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/sep/02/court-september-11-hijacker-photos-classified-torture ) . Wouldn't all criminals love to be able to use that argument.
Ссылка: https://stallman.org/archives/2014-jul-oct.html#03_September_2014_%28Judge_rejects_release_of_torture_photos%29

Five questions North Carolina thugs [ must answer about the two teenagers they framed for murder ]( http://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/sep/03/inmates-released-30-years-five-questions-police-henry-mccollum-leon-brown ) .
Ссылка: https://stallman.org/archives/2014-jul-oct.html#03_September_2014_%28Questions_North_Carolina_thugs_must_answer%29

Tasmania has [ permitted logging in 1500 square miles of currently protected forests ]( http://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/sep/03/tasmanian-government-rips-up-forestry-peace-deal ) . They claim that this is justified by "creating jobs", which is standard bullshit for right-wing governments that decide to loot the environment. (The same has been said to argue for the [ Keystone XL pipeline ]( https://stallman.org/archives/2012-sep-dec.html#07_September_2012_%28Lies_about_Keystone_XL_pipeline%29 ) .) Of course, the same right-wing governments destroy far more jobs through austerity. Take away a lot, give back a little while screwing you, and say you should be grateful. I do not consider trees sacred. If most of the Earth's wild forests were still here, it would make sense to cut parts of them, just not too much. But we've already come close to wiping out many ecosystems, and now it is time to stop. As we get closer to catastrophe, the money pressure attacking every protected area or possible resource will grow. The plutocrats who hope to profit will promise trickle-down to some of the masses they have made desperate, so as to get them to support the looting. By the time civilization can no longer support the sort of trade that makes it profitable to cut down forests and ship the wood across the world, we may have wiped out every last bit of forest in the final frenzy. Mining threatens to [ poison the Scandinavian Arctic ]( http://www.theguardian.com/environment/2014/sep/03/mining-threat-northern-europe-wilderness-finland-sweden-norway ) .
Ссылка: https://stallman.org/archives/2014-jul-oct.html#03_September_2014_%28Tasmania_has_permitted_logging%29

Tax dodging and corruption [ cost the world's poorest countries 20 billion dollars in tax revenue ]( http://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2014/sep/03/one-g20-cracking-down-corruption ) , or maybe more if the tax rate were what it should be. The US government (and US citizens) [ suffer from this too ]( https://stallman.org/archives/2014-mar-jun.html#18_June_2014_%28Tax_loophole_to_duck_US_taxes%29 ) .
Ссылка: https://stallman.org/archives/2014-jul-oct.html#04_September_2014_%28Tax_dodging_and_corruption%29

UK thugs secretly [ checked a journalist's phone records without a warrant ]( http://www.theguardian.com/media/2014/sep/02/plebgate-met-phone-records-sun-tom-newton-dunn ) . This was to [ identify a whistleblower in the thug department ]( http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2014/sep/03/trust-police-service-scandals-hacking-journalist-phone ) . The thugs [ refuse to say how many times they have done this ]( http://www.theguardian.com/media/2014/sep/03/met-journalist-phone-records-sun-political-editor-plebgate ) .
Ссылка: https://stallman.org/archives/2014-jul-oct.html#04_September_2014_%28UK_thugs_secretly_checked_a_journalist%27s_phone_records%29

Israel sabotaged the Palestinian Authority by [ not passing on the tax revenues it collects on the PA's behalf ]( http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=724676 ) .
Ссылка: https://stallman.org/archives/2014-jul-oct.html#04_September_2014_%28Israel_sabotaged_the_Palestinian_Authority%29

Citizens of New York State, Connecticut, Rhode Island and Massachusetts: [ help block a pipeline for fracked gas ]( http://act.foodandwaterwatch.org/site/MessageViewer?dlv_id=44962&em_id=38161.0 ) .
Ссылка: https://stallman.org/archives/2014-jul-oct.html#04_September_2014_%28Help_block_a_pipeline_for_fracked_gas%29

How conservative prejudice [ cut off the promising therapy of LSD ]( http://www.theguardian.com/science/neurophilosophy/2014/sep/02/psychedelic-psychiatry ) .
Ссылка: https://stallman.org/archives/2014-jul-oct.html#04_September_2014_%28Therapy_of_LSD%29

ISIS [ published another beheading video ]( http://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/sep/02/isis-video-steven-sotloff-beheading ) . ISIS is really [ desperate to get the US more involved in fighting ]( https://www.stallman.org/archives/2014-jul-oct.html#31_August_2014_(ISIS) ) .
Ссылка: https://stallman.org/archives/2014-jul-oct.html#04_September_2014_%28ISIS_getting_desperate%29

Staff in "fast food" restaurants in several US states plan to go on strike on Sep 4 and [ protest outside restaurants ]( http://www.theguardian.com/business/2014/sep/01/fast-food-strike-minimum-wage-workers-protest ) . Remember that "fast food" was not supposed to be eaten. It was originally intended for fasting.
Ссылка: https://stallman.org/archives/2014-jul-oct.html#03_September_2014_%28Fast_food_staff_strike%29

Commenting on a female candidate's appearance, whether positively or negatively or neutrally, [ tends to harm the candidate's success in the race ]( http://thinkprogress.org/justice/2013/04/08/1833511/women-candidates-physical-appearance/ ) . Pointing out that this is a side issue, and what matters is the candidate's politics, cancels out that effect. In this context, it is interesting to note the way other senators [ commented disparagingly on the appearance of Senator Gillibrand ]( http://thinkprogress.org/election/2014/08/27/3476562/gillibrand-memoir-body-comments/ ) .
Ссылка: https://stallman.org/archives/2014-jul-oct.html#03_September_2014_%28Commenting_on_a_candidates_appearance%29

[ AT&T Wants Tax Incentives And State Laws That Protect It from Competition ]( http://arstechnica.com/business/2014/09/att-cities-shouldnt-offer-broadband-where-private-isps-already-do-or-might-later/ ) . Since cables running down the street are a natural monopoly, they should be be owned either by tightly regulated businesses or directly by the state.
Ссылка: https://stallman.org/archives/2014-jul-oct.html#03_September_2014_%28What_ATT_wants%29

Australia has been pressured into cancelling the plan to dump waste from dredging a new coal port straight into the Great Barrier Reef. However, the export of coal from that port will [ still gravely threaten the reef ]( http://www.commondreams.org/news/2014/09/02/dumping-plan-scrapped-coal-terminals-threat-great-barrier-reef-remains ) .
Ссылка: https://stallman.org/archives/2014-jul-oct.html#03_September_2014_%28Great_Barrier_Reef_still_threatened%29

Pennsylvania put a prison next to a coal ash dump, and the [ prisoners are getting diseases from that ]( http://www.commondreams.org/news/2014/09/02/no-escape-alarming-cancer-rates-prison-built-next-toxic-coal-dump ) .
Ссылка: https://stallman.org/archives/2014-jul-oct.html#03_September_2014_%28Prison_next_to_coal_ash_dump%29

Global heating is hitting the Gulf of Maine hard, [ driving many species northward ]( http://www.theguardian.com/environment/2014/sep/03/maine-lobster-and-cape-cod-under-threat-from-rapidly-warming-seas ) .
Ссылка: https://stallman.org/archives/2014-jul-oct.html#03_September_2014_%28Gulf_of_Maine_hit_by_global_heating%29

[ In a Lot of Ways, We're Worse Off Today Than We Were under George W. Bush ]( https://firstlook.org/theintercept/?p=4116 ) .
Ссылка: https://stallman.org/archives/2014-jul-oct.html#03_September_2014_%28Worse_off_today_than_under_Dubya%29

[ Opponents of GM Labelling Triple Lobbying Spending in 2014 ]( http://www.theguardian.com/environment/2014/sep/03/genetically-modified-food-labels-lobbying-monsanto-coke ) .
Ссылка: https://stallman.org/archives/2014-jul-oct.html#03_September_2014_%28Lobbying_against_GM_labelling%29

CVS is [ discontinuing sale of cigarettes ]( http://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/sep/03/cvs-replaces-tobacco-anti-smoking-campaign ) .
Ссылка: https://stallman.org/archives/2014-jul-oct.html#03_September_2014_%28CVS_discontinuing_sale_of_cigarettes%29

The Indian government blocked foreign funding for Greenpeace India, but a court [ reversed the decision ]( http://www.theguardian.com/environment/2014/sep/03/india-court-tells-government-to-unblock-greenpeace-funds ) . Evidently Modi's government wants mining companies to trash India.
Ссылка: https://stallman.org/archives/2014-jul-oct.html#03_September_2014_%28Greenpeace_India_funding%29

Phony abortion counsellors that give false information have spread [ from the US to Australia ]( http://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/sep/03/anti-abortion-websites-masquerade-as-pregnancy-counsellors ) .
Ссылка: https://stallman.org/archives/2014-jul-oct.html#03_September_2014_%28Spread_of_phony_abortion_counsellors%29

The Tories are [ trying to hamstring organizations such as Oxfam ]( http://www.theguardian.com/society/2014/sep/03/charities-knitting-politics-brook-newmark ) so they cannot campaign for hungry people there.
Ссылка: https://stallman.org/archives/2014-jul-oct.html#03_September_2014_%28Tories_try_to_hamstring_charities%29

Due to the Supreme Court's "rich people's money is speech" McCutcheon decision, 300 rich people have already spent [ 11 million dollars more on this year's election than previous limits permitted ]( http://www.commondreams.org/news/2014/09/02/expected-big-money-flood-grows-bigger-wake-mccutcheon-ruling ) .
Ссылка: https://stallman.org/archives/2014-jul-oct.html#03_September_2014_%28Rich_spending_more_on_election%29

Some US intelligence whistleblowers say they [ distrust the claim that Russian troops are fighting in Ukraine ]( http://www.commondreams.org/views/2014/09/02/nato-and-ukraine-warning ) . Here is the [ evidence ]( http://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/sep/03/ukraine-soldier-youre-better-clueless-because-truth-horrible-moscow-ilovaysk ) I've seen that Russia has sent troops to fight in Ukraine. It does not all come from the US or NATO.
Ссылка: https://stallman.org/archives/2014-jul-oct.html#03_September_2014_%28Evidence_of_Russian_troops_in_Ukraine%29

75% of Americans are [ living from paycheck to paycheck, unable to save any money ]( http://money.cnn.com/2013/06/24/pf/emergency-savings/ ) . 14% have had [ trouble getting food at some time in the past year ]( http://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/sep/03/us-household-food-security-report ) .
Ссылка: https://stallman.org/archives/2014-jul-oct.html#05_September_2014_%28Living_from_paycheck_to_paycheck%29

US citizens: phone your senators to urge them to vote for the constitutional amendment to reverse the Citizens United decision. Although the [ amendment being considered is narrow ]( https://www.stallman.org/archives/2014-mar-jun.html#03_June_2014_%28Constitutional_amendment_to_reverse_Corporations_United%29 ) ,and won't abolish the idea that [ corporations are entitled to human rights ]( https://www.stallman.org/archives/2013-jul-oct.html#23_July_2013_%28Urgent:_Human_rights_for_people,_not_for_corporations%29 ) , it is important nonetheless. The Capitol Switchboard numbers are 202-224-3121, 888-818-6641 and 888-355-3588.
Ссылка: https://stallman.org/archives/2014-jul-oct.html#05_September_2014_%28Urgent%3A_Reverse_the_Citizens_United_decision%29