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9/29/2010 Engineers Slam Internet 'Censorship' Bill Under Review by Senate
Internet entrepreneurs are in a panic over a Senate bill they say will censor the Web, stifle Silicon Valley startups, damage the United States' credibility on free speech and ultimately trigger the creation of an alternate-universe Internet. The West Coast engineers say they were blindsided last Monday when the Combating Online Infringement and Counterfeits Act was introduced in the Senate Judiciary Committee. The bill has a bipartisan roster of co-sponsors who say it will be a tool for stopping the worst offenders in the world of online piracy. The bill would give the attorney general new powers to shut down websites deemed dedicated to counterfeit material -- by going through the courts and by encouraging service providers to go after sites the Justice Department puts on a public blacklist. According to the bill, a website would have to be "dedicated to infringing activities" to trigger the enforcement. (Fox)
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posted: 10/4/10                   0       13
#1 
keywords: China, Cybersecurity, Demand Progress, Dropbox, Electronic Frontier Foundation, Eric Holder, Erica Chabot, Free Speech, Internet, Iran, Mediafire, Orrin Hatch, Patrick Leahy, Peter Eckersley, Privacy, Rapidshare, Screen Actors Guild, Steve Tepp, Terrorists, US Chamber Of Commerce, US Congress, US Department Of Justice, United States, White House, World Trade Organization, Youtube Add New Keyword To Link



6/4/2010 Bill Gates will talk about energy and how to combat poverty in Bilderberg Club
In a press conference in CosmoCaixa, after canceling a conference on the importance of investing in developing the first public event of the Global Health Institute (ISGlobal), Gates admitted that for the first time participate in this meeting, which was born in 1954 in Holland in the context of a meeting of European leaders and U.S. willing to build bridges on both sides of the Atlantic. (20 Minutos)
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posted: 6/7/10                   0       21
#2 



6/4/2010 Secretive Bilderberg Club brings decision-makers to talks in Spain
Secrecy surrounded the guest list, but press leaks mentioned such names as former US Federal Reserve chairman and current presidential advisor Paul Volcker, Austrian President Heinz Fischer, European Competition Commissioner Joaquin Almunia and Microsoft founder Bill Gates. (Earth Times)
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posted: 6/7/10                   0       20
#3 



1/1/2010 History of the Income Tax in the United States
The nation had few taxes in its early history. From 1791 to 1802, the United States government was supported by internal taxes on distilled spirits, carriages, refined sugar, tobacco and snuff, property sold at auction, corporate bonds, and slaves. The high cost of the War of 1812 brought about the nation's first sales taxes on gold, silverware, jewelry, and watches. In 1817, however, Congress did away with all internal taxes, relying on tariffs on imported goods to provide sufficient funds for running the government. (Tax Foundation)
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posted: 11/28/10                   0       1
#4 



11/18/2009 Hoodwinked: An Economic Hit with John Perkins (Thom Hartmann)
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posted: 9/27/10      
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#5 



8/1/2009 U.S.
Insane Food Bill 2749 Passes House On 2nd Try. HR 2749: Totalitarian Control Of Our Food Supply

HR 2749 would give FDA the power to order a quarantine of a geographic area, including "prohibiting or restricting the movement of food or of any vehicle being used or that has been used to transport or hold such food within the geographic area." (Axis of Logic)
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posted: 8/7/09                   0       12
#6 



7/22/2009 Don't Let Obama Put GMO Boosters in Charge of Food Safety!
The only reason they're in our food supply is because government bureaucrats with ties to industry suppressed or manipulated scientific research and deprived consumers of the information they need to make informed choices about whether or not to eat genetically modified foods (Organic Consumers Association)
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posted: 7/28/09                   0       10
#7 



7/8/2009 Senators attack carbon tax proposals on US imports
Senior Democrat senators said on Wednesday they would change a provision that imposes carbon taxes on imports following warnings that the clause in the House’s cap-and-trade bill could spark a global trade war (Financial Times)
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posted: 7/10/09                   0       9
#8 



6/17/2009 Henry Waxman's betrayal of our existence
HR 2749

HR 2749, if one looks closely, is fascist. And all the things that people were criticizing the other bills such as HR 875 for

all denied by DeLauro and FWW

turn out to be not only true but worse than the worse that was reported (Daily Kos)
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posted: 7/5/09                   0       9
#9 



6/16/2009 HR 2749: Totalitarian Control of the Food Supply
The bill would impose a one-size-fits-all regulatory scheme on small farms and local artisanal producers; and it would disproportionately impact their operations for the worse (Food Freedom)
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posted: 7/5/09                   0       8
#10 



6/10/2009 EU calls on US to drop gambling ban
The EU says it could seek compensation from the World Trade Organization because the 2006 ban unfairly prevents foreign Internet gambling sites from operating in the United States (Technology Review)
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posted: 6/11/09                   7       26
#11 



5/30/2009 Zoellick Warns Stimulus ‘Sugar High’ Won’t Stem Unemployment (Bloomberg)
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posted: 6/4/09                   3       23
#12 



4/1/2009 G20: Gordon Brown woos China with offer of greater voting powers (London Guardian)
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posted: 5/7/09                   2       21
#13 



2/7/2009 IMF Says Advanced Economies Already in Depression (Update1)
Ten days ago, the IMF cut its world-growth estimate for this year to 0.5 percent, the weakest pace since World War II. Stimulus packages alone won’t succeed in dragging the global economy out of recession unless confidence is restored in the banking system, Strauss-Kahn said today. (Bloomberg)
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posted: 5/4/09                   3       16
#14 



10/25/2008 We Need a Bank Of the World
The financial crisis is global, and only an international central bank can deal with it

If George W. Bush's upcoming global summit on how to fix the world's broken financial system—an event proposed by several European presidents and prime ministers—is to be a serious effort, the leaders should begin laying the groundwork for establishing a global central bank.

Had it existed, a global central bank would have acted without the air of panic that has been exhibited by national central banks and finance ministries in this meltdown. Ideally, it would have gathered its governing board well in advance of a financial blowup to execute a coordinated rescue and global-stimulus plan, part of what should be its ongoing role of preparing for crises. It would be hard to overestimate the political pushback that any official proposal for a global central bank would draw from various constituencies, most especially within the United States. Among their many charges, critics will protest the establishment of "world government." But we have a World Trade Organization with legally binding powers over trade disputes. We have a World Health Organization for communicable disease with the ability to quarantine entire countries. And a World Court functions today that has considerable legal and moral clout. No one should want too much globally centralized oversight. But the world's gathering misery shows that too little leadership from the center can be equally dangerous. The November summit itself won't solve anything, but if it gave instructions to finance ministers and central bankers to explore what a new central bank could do, with a deadline to come back with concrete ideas shortly after a new U.S. president is inaugurated, it will have made real progress on one of the great problems of our times. (Newsweek)
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posted: 5/4/09                   2       14
#15 



4/3/2008 Protect Canada's water, Ottawa urged
Warning that most Americans see Canada as that "great green sponge up north," four organizations plan to issue a plea today to the Conservative government to protect the nation's water before it's too late. A study authored by the Polaris Institute, a public policy group, and obtained by the Star challenges "myths" about Canadian abundance and describes how the country lost control of its water to U.S. interests under the terms of binding trade deals, including the 1994 North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA). Moreover, while U.S. Democratic presidential contenders Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama recently raised the spectre of Washington renegotiating NAFTA for its benefit, this report – done in co-ordination with the Canadian Labour Congress – underscores that Ottawa has the option of abrogating the deal if it can't establish control over water. (Toronto Star)
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posted: 11/5/10                   0       1
#16 



2/15/2008 Mexican Campaign Against NAFTA Finds Its Focus: Hundreds of thousands are organizing against NAFTA and its encroaching powers.
Some of the 300,000-plus protesters marched against the increasing price of corn, pesticides, and fertilizer. Some marched against the secretary of agriculture. Some marched to get a free lunch. There were marchers against genetically modified organisms (GMO). But at the other end of the march was a contingent of tractors, which had traversed the country to make a dramatic procession down the Avenida Reforma, that sported pro-GMO stickers sponsored by Monsanto. Despite these various and sometimes divergent interests, the Mexican campaign against NAFTA is finding a focus. One of the best attended sessions of the recent Mexico Social Forum was on the Security and Prosperity Partnership (SPP), a so-called "NAFTA-plus" closed-doors agreement stirring concern throughout Canada, the United States, and Mexico that the most undemocratic corporate domination is yet to come. The SPP needs to be on the radar of citizens of all three countries because it ties the issues together into a particularly sinister package. Security, natural resource control, militarization as a response to the drug war, the abandonment of small farmers, and links between NAFTA and immigration are all now brought together within the SPP -- and within the social movements that oppose it. (Alter Net)
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posted: 11/5/10                   0       1
#17 
keywords: Campeche, Canada, Center For Studies On Public Finance, Dennis Olson, Genetically Modified Organisms, Halliburton, Institute On Agriculture And Trade Policy, Mexico, Mexico City, Monsanto, North American Free Trade Agreement, Pemex, Security And Prosperity Partnership Of North America, United States, World Trade Organization Add New Keyword To Link



2/21/2006 State sovereignty must be altered in globalized era
In the age of globalization, states should give up some sovereignty to world bodies in order to protect their own interests (Taipei Times)
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posted: 6/29/09                   1       17
#18 



2/17/2006 Sovereignty and globalisation by Richard N Haass
“states must be prepared to cede some sovereignty to world bodies if the international system is to function.” (Council on Foreign Relations)
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posted: 5/5/09                   0       13
#19 



8/16/2005 CFR's Plan to Integrate the U.S., Mexico and Canada
This CFR document, called "Building a North American Community," asserts that George W. Bush, Mexican President Vicente Fox, and Canadian Prime Minister Paul Martin "committed their governments" to this goal when they met at Bush’s ranch and at Waco, Texas on March 23, 2005 (Idaho Observer)
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posted: 5/17/09                   3       26
#20 



5/1/2005 Authors of "Building a North American Community" by the Council on Foreign Relations
Chairs: John P. Manley Pedro Aspe William F. Weld Vice Chairs: Thomas P. D'Aquino Andres Rozental Robert A. Pastor Publisher: Council on Foreign Relations Press

Sponsored by the Council on Foreign Relations in association with the Canadian Council of Chief Executives and the Consejo Mexicano de Asuntos Internacionales. North America is vulnerable on several fronts: the region faces terrorist and criminal security threats, increased economic competition from abroad, and uneven economic development at home. In response to these challenges, a trinational, Independent Task Force on the Future of North America has developed a roadmap to promote North American security and advance the well-being of citizens of all three countries. When the leaders of Canada, Mexico, and the United States met in Texas recently they underscored the deep ties and shared principles of the three countries. The Council-sponsored Task Force applauds the announced “Security and Prosperity Partnership of North America,” but proposes a more ambitious vision of a new community by 2010 and specific recommendations on how to achieve it. (Council on Foreign Relations)
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posted: 5/6/09                   2       15
#21 
keywords: 9/11, Alfonso De Angoita, Allan Gotlieb, American Stock Exchange, American University, Andres Rozental, Anheuser-busch, Arizona State University, Arxan Technologies, Asia Pacific Foundation, Beatriz Paredes, Bill Clinton, Brookings Institution, CNN, Canada, Canadian Council Of Chief Executives, Canadian Department Of Foreign Affairs And International Trade, Carla Hills, Carleton University, Carleton's Centre For Trade Policy And Law, Carlos Heredia, Carnegie Endowment For International Peace, Carter Center, Centro De Investigacio ́n Para El Desarrollo-center Of Research For Development, Chappell Lawson, Citigroup, Civitas Group Llc, Congress Of Mexico, Consejo Mexicano De Asuntos Internacionales, Council On Foreign Relations, Cox Hanson O’reilly Mathe- Son, Daniel Gerstein, David Mcd Mann, David Stewart-patterson, Donner Foundation, Doris Meissner, Editorial Televisa, Emera Inc, European Union, Foreign Affairs, Fundacio ́n Colosio, Gary Hufbauer, Geneva, George H W Bush, Georgetown University, Gerald Ford, Gordon Giffin, Greece, Grupo Modelo, Grupo Televisa, Heenan Blaikie, Heidi Cruz, Hills & Company, Institute For International Economics, Instituto Tecnolo ́gico Auto ́nomo De ME ́xico, International Affairs, JP Morgan Chase, James R Jones, Jeffrey Schott, Jimmy Carter, John Kerry, John Manley, Joseph Biden, Kaiser Family Foundation, Keyspan Energy Corporation, Kissinger Mclarty Associates, LA ́zaro CA ́rdenas-batel, Lawrence Spinetta, Leeds Weld & CO, Luis De LA Calle Pardo, Luis Rubio, Lyndon Johnson, Manatt Jones Global Strategies, Massachusetts, Massachusetts Institute Of Technology, Mccarthy Te ́ Trault Llp, Mcgill University, Mckenna Long & Aldridge Llp, Meridian International, Merrill Lynch, Mexican Ministry Of Finance, Mexico, Mexico City, Michael Hart, Michoaca ́n, Migration Policy Institute, Mijares Angoitia Corte ́s Y Fuentes, Monteme- Dia, National Council Of LA Raza, Nelson Cunningham, New York City, North American Free Trade Agreement, North American Union, Oklahoma, Ottawa, Pedro Aspe, Pierre Marc Johnson, Princeton University, Queen's University, Rafael Fernandez De Castro, Ramon Alberto Garza, Raul Yzaguirre, Reforma, Rene ́ Le ́vesque, Richard Falkenrath, Richard Nixon, Robert Pastor, Robert Zoellick, Ronald Reagan, Sam Boutziouvis, Sam Nunn, Security And Prosperity Partnership Of North America, Sotheby's Canada, Stikeman Elliott Llp, Sweden, Terrorists, Thomas Axworthy, Thomas D'aquinois, Thomas Niles, Thomas Ridge, Tlaxcala, Treasury Of Mexico, US Congress, US Department Of Homeland Security, US Department Of Housing And Urban Development, US Department Of Justice, US Department Of State, US Department Of The Treasury, US Immigration And Naturalization Service, US National Security Council, United Kingdom, United Nations, United States, United States Council For International Business, University Of Toronto, Vincente Fox, Warnaco International, Wendy Dobson, White House, William Weld, World Affairs Councils Of America, World Trade Organization Add New Keyword To Link



5/1/2005 Building a North American Community
Report of an Independent Task Force; Sponsored by the Council on Foreign Relations with the Canadian Council of Chief Executives and the Consejo Mexicano de Asuntos Internacionales

America’s relationship with its North American neighbors rarely gets the attention it warrants. This report of a Council-sponsored Indepen- dent Task Force on the Future of North America is intended to help address this policy gap. In the more than a decade since the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) took effect, ties among Canada, Mexico, and the United States have deepened dramatically. The value of trade within North America has more than doubled. Canada and Mexico are now the two largest exporters of oil, natural gas, and electricity to the United States. Since 9/11, we are not only one another’s major commercial partners, we are joined in an effort to make North America less vulnerable to terrorist attack. This report examines these and other changes that have taken place since NAFTA’s inception and makes recommendations to address the range of issues confronting North American policymakers today: greater economic competition from outside North America, uneven develop- ment within North America, the growing demand for energy, and threats to our borders. The Task Force offers a detailed and ambitious set of proposals that build on the recommendations adopted by the three governments at the Texas summit of March 2005. The Task Force’s central recommen- dation is establishment by 2010 of a North American economic and security community, the boundaries of which would be defined by a common external tariff and an outer security perimeter.

More than a decade ago NAFTA took effect, liberalizing trade and investment, providing crucial protection for intellectual property, creating pioneering dispute-resolution mechanisms, and establishing the first regional devices to safeguard labor and environmental standards. NAFTA helped unlock the region’s economic potential and demon- strated that nations at different levels of development can prosper from the opportunities created by reciprocal free trade arrangements. Since then, however, global commercial competition has grown more intense and international terrorism has emerged as a serious regional and global danger. Deepening ties among the three countries of North America promise continued benefits for Canada, Mexico, and the United States. That said, the trajectory toward a more integrated and prosperous North America is neither inevitable nor irreversible. In March 2005, the leaders of Canada, Mexico, and the United States adopted a Security and Prosperity Partnership of North America (SPP), establishing ministerial-level working groups to address key secu- rity and economic issues facing North America and setting a short deadline for reporting progress back to their governments. President Bush described the significance of the SPP as putting forward a common commitment ‘‘to markets and democracy, freedom and trade, and mutual prosperity and security.’’ The policy framework articulated by the three leaders is a significant commitment that will benefit from broad discussion and advice. The Task Force is pleased to provide specific advice on how the partnership can be pursued and realized. To that end, the Task Force proposes the creation by 2010 of a North American community to enhance security, prosperity, and opportunity. We propose a community based on the principle affirmed in the March 2005 Joint Statement of the three leaders that ‘‘our security and prosperity are mutually dependent and complementary.’’ Its boundaries will be defined by a common external tariff and an outer security perimeter within which the movement of people, products, and capital will be legal, orderly, and safe. Its goal will be to guarantee a free, secure, just, and prosperous North America.

A North American Advisory Council. To ensure a regular injection of creative energy into the various efforts related to North American integration, the three governments should appoint an independent body of advisers. This body should be composed of eminent persons from outside government, appointed to staggered multiyear terms to ensure their independence. Their mandate would be to engage in creative exploration of new ideas from a North American perspective and to provide a public voice for North America. A complementary approach would be to establish private bodies that would meet regularly or annually to buttress North American relationships, along the lines of the Bilderberg or Wehrkunde conferences, organized to support transatlantic relations. (Council on Foreign Relations)
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posted: 5/5/09                   0       15
#22 
keywords: 9/11, Afghanistan, Airports, Al-qaeda, Albert Fishlow, Alfonso De Angoita, Allan Gotlieb, Alternative Energy, American Stock Exchange, American University, Andrea Walther, Andres Rozental, Anheuser-busch, Anya Schmemann, Archer Daniels Midland Company, Arizona State University, Arturo Saruk- Han, Arxan Technologies, Asia, Asia Pacific Foundation, Asia-pacific Economic Cooperation, Aurora Adame, Beatriz Paredes, Big Oil, Big Pharma, Bilderberg Group, Bill Clinton, Biological Weapons, Biometrics, Brookings Institution, CNN, Canada, Canadian Council Of Chief Executives, Canadian Department Of Foreign Affairs And International Trade, Carbon Dioxide, Carla Hills, Carleton University, Carleton's Centre For Trade Policy And Law, Carlos Heredia, Carnegie Endowment For International Peace, Carter Center, Centro De Investigacio ́n Para El Desarrollo-center Of Research For Development, Chappell Lawson, Chemical Weapons, Cheryl Eadie, Citigroup, Civitas Group Llc, Climate Change, Columbia University, Congress Of Mexico, Consejo Mexicano De Asuntos Internacionales, Council On Foreign Relations, Cox Hanson O’reilly Mathe- Son, Daniel Gerstein, David Mcd Mann, David Stewart-patterson, Donner Foundation, Doris Meissner, Drug Cartels, Editorial Televisa, Education, Edward Morse, Emera Inc, European Union, Foreign Affairs, Fundacio ́n Colosio, G7, G8, Gary Hufbauer, Geneva, George H W Bush, George W Bush, Georgetown University, Gerald Ford, Gordon Giffin, Government Transparency, Greece, Greenhouse Gases, Grupo Modelo, Grupo Televisa, Health Care, Heenan Blaikie, Heidi Cruz, Hess Energy Trading Company, Hills & Company, Historica Foundation, Immigration, Institute For International Economics, Instituto Tecnolo ́gico Auto ́nomo De ME ́xico, Intellectual Property, International Affairs, Internet, Irina Faskianos, JP Morgan Chase, James R Jones, Jeffrey Schott, Jimmy Carter, John Cornyn, John Havens, John Kerry, John Manley, Jose Natividad Gonzalez Paras, Joseph Biden, Kaiser Family Foundation, Kate Zimmerman, Keyspan Energy Corporation, Kissinger Mclarty Associates, Kyoto Protocol, LA ́zaro CA ́rdenas-batel, Lawrence Spinetta, Lee Feinstein, Leeds Weld & CO, Lindsay Workman, Lisa Shields, Los Angeles, Luis De LA Calle Pardo, Luis Rubio, Lyndon Johnson, Mad Cow Disease, Manatt Jones Global Strategies, Manitoba, Massachusetts, Massachusetts Institute Of Technology, Mccarthy Te ́ Trault Llp, Mcgill University, Mckenna Long & Aldridge Llp, Meaghan Mills, Meridian International, Merrill Lynch, Mexican Constitution, Mexican Ministry Of Finance, Mexico, Mexico City, Michael Hart, Michoaca ́n, Migration Policy Institute, Mijares Angoitia Corte ́s Y Fuentes, Military, Monique Kaymond-dure, Monteme- Dia, Monterrey, Nancy Bodurtha, Nancy Wallace, National Council Of LA Raza, Natural Gas, Nelson Cunningham, New York, New York City, North American Aerospace Defense Command, North American Commission On Environmental Cooperation, North American Development Bank, North American Free Trade Agreement, North American Steel And Trade Committee, North American Union, North Atlantic Treaty Organization, North Dakota, Nuclear Weapons, Nuevo Leon, Oklahoma, Organization For Economic Cooperation And Development, Ottawa, Patricia Dorff, Paul Martin, Pedro Aspe, Pemex, Persian Gulf, Pierre Marc Johnson, Police, Pollution, Princeton University, Queen's University, Rafael Fernandez De Castro, Ramon Alberto Garza, Raul Rodriguez, Raul Yzaguirre, Reforma, Rene ́ Le ́vesque, Richard Falkenrath, Richard George, Richard Haass, Richard Nixon, Robert Pastor, Robert Zoellick, Ronald Reagan, Ross Laver, Sam Boutziouvis, Sam Nunn, Security And Prosperity Partnership Of North America, Sotheby's Canada, Steel, Stikeman Elliott Llp, Suncor Energy Inc, Sweden, Terrorists, Texas, Thomas Axworthy, Thomas D'aquinois, Thomas Niles, Thomas Ridge, Tlaxcala, Toronto, Treasury Of Mexico, Trees, US Air Force, US Army, US Congress, US Customs And Border Protection, US Department Of Education, US Department Of Homeland Security, US Department Of Housing And Urban Development, US Department Of Justice, US Department Of State, US Department Of The Treasury, US Immigration And Naturalization Service, US National Security Council, US Navy, United Kingdom, United Nations, United States, United States Council For International Business, University Of Toronto, Vicente Fox, Vincente Fox, Waco, War On Drugs, Warnaco International, Washington DC, Water, Wehrkunde Conference, Wendy Dobson, White House, William Weld, World Affairs Councils Of America, World Bank, World Trade Organization, Yves-andre Istel Add New Keyword To Link



4/1/2005 Canada's International Policy Statement
Securing access to markets through trade agreements remains important, but there is increased recognition that investment is a much more significant driver of economic growth. The forthcoming International Policy Statement (IPS) is likely to highlight a broad set of measures that can make the country more competitive (for instance, in attracting and keeping human capital). Moreover, investment agreements, such as the one being negotiated with the EU, will probably be emphasised as models for engagement with new economic partners. (Forbes)
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posted: 11/8/10                   0       0
#23 



11/15/2004 New Iraq Patent Law Will Make Traditional Farmers Seed Saving Illegal
IRAQI FARMERS FARM-SAVED SEED AND FREE INNOVATION TRADITION NOW RULED ILLEGAL UNDER NEW CORPORATE FRIENDLY PATENTING LAW FOCUS ON THE GLOBAL SOUTH AND GRAIN, COALITION AGAINST BAYER, CBG NETWORK:

For generations, small farmers in Iraq operated in an essentially unregulated, informal seed supply system. Farm-saved seed and the free innovation with and exchange of planting materials among farming communities has long been the basis of agricultural practice. This has been made illegal under the new law. The seeds farmers are now allowed to plant --- "protected" crop varieties brought into Iraq by transnational corporations in the name of agricultural reconstruction --- will be the property of the corporations. While historically the Iraqi constitution prohibited private ownership of biological resources, the new U.S.-imposed patent law introduces a system of monopoly rights over seeds. Inserted into Iraq's previous patent law is a whole new chapter on Plant Variety Protection (PVP) that provides for the "protection of new varieties of plants." PVP is an intellectual property right (IPR) or a kind of patent for plant varieties which gives an exclusive monopoly right on planting material to a plant breeder who claims to have discovered or developed a new variety. So the "protection" in PVP has nothing to do with conservation, but refers to safeguarding of the commercial interests of private breeders (usually large corporations) claiming to have created the new plants. To qualify for PVP, plant varieties must comply with the standards of the UPOV Convention, which requires them be new, distinct, uniform and stable. Farmers' seeds cannot meet these criteria, making PVP-protected seeds the exclusive domain of corporations. The rights granted to plant breeders in this scheme include the exclusive right to produce, reproduce, sell, export, import and store the protected varieties.

Food sovereignty is the right of people to define their own food and agriculture policies, to protect and regulate domestic agricultural production and trade, to decide the way food should be produced, what should be grown locally and what should be imported. The demand for food sovereignty and the opposition to the patenting of seeds has been central to the small farmers' struggle all over the world over the past decade. By fundamentally altering the IPR regime, the U.S. has ensured that Iraq's agricultural system will remain under "occupation" in Iraq. Iraq has the potential to feed itself. But instead of developing this capacity, the U.S. has shaped the future of Iraq's food and farming to serve the interests of US corporations. The new IPR regime pays scant respect to Iraqi farmers' contributions to the development of important crops like wheat, barley, date and pulses. While political sovereignty remains an illusion, food sovereignty for the Iraqi people has already been made near impossible by these new regulations. Iraq's freedom and sovereignty will remain questionable for as long as Iraqis do not have control over what they sow, grow, reap and eat. (The Agribusiness Examiner)
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posted: 3/14/11                   0       1
#24 
keywords: A&m University, Afghanistan, Australia, Bayer, Cambodia, Development Alternatives, Dow Chemical, Genetically Modified Organisms, Intellectual Property, Iraq, Military, Monsanto, Pesticides, Sagric International, Sri Lanka, Syngenta, Texas, US Agency For International development, United States, World Trade Organization Add New Keyword To Link



5/13/2004 The Emerging Asian Union? China Trade, Asian Investment, and a New Competitive Challenge (Progressive Policy Institute)
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posted: 5/19/09                   4       27
#25 



10/10/2001 The Globalizer Who Came In From the Cold
The World Bank's former Chief Economist's accusations are eye-popping

including how the IMF and US Treasury fixed the Russian elections "It has condemned people to death," the former apparatchik told me. This was like a scene out of Le Carre. The brilliant old agent comes in from the cold, crosses to our side, and in hours of debriefing, empties his memory of horrors committed in the name of a political ideology he now realizes has gone rotten. And here before me was a far bigger catch than some used Cold War spy. Joseph Stiglitz was Chief Economist of the World Bank. To a great extent, the new world economic order was his theory come to life. I "debriefed" Stigltiz over several days, at Cambridge University, in a London hotel and finally in Washington in April 2001 during the big confab of the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund. But instead of chairing the meetings of ministers and central bankers, Stiglitz was kept exiled safely behind the blue police cordons, the same as the nuns carrying a large wooden cross, the Bolivian union leaders, the parents of AIDS victims and the other 'anti-globalization' protesters. The ultimate insider was now on the outside. (Greg Palast)
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posted: 5/6/09                   1       13
#26 



7/12/2001 Reinventing Collectivism: The New Social Democracy
On every front, collectivism is in retreat. With the fall of the Berlin Wall, the idea of state socialism is dead. For many people, the triumph of the market economy has legitimised the ideals of economic self-interest. Throughout the Western world, the traditional role of government is under question: the large, centralised bureaucracies of the welfare state appear to be out-of-step with an increasingly self-reliant electorate. The public’s faith in the public sector is at an all-time low. So too, we have entered an era of political disengagement. The hierarchies of organised politics have generated enormous public distrust and dissatisfaction. Indeed, it is difficult to think of a government policy that still fosters a strong sense of collective interest and collective responsibility. We are losing the battle for public mutuality. Not surprisingly, the foundations of community life are also weak. Society is experiencing exclusion at the top as well as the bottom. The trend towards walled housing estates and gated communities erodes social capital, no less than the exclusion of poor neighbourhoods. There is a thing called society but unhappily, we are losing it. This is the crisis of Left-of-Centre politics: the widespread decline in collective institutions and collective ideals. Unless this crisis is addressed, our hopes for social democracy will hollow out. We will become a cause for power, rather than a cause for a good society. While from time to time we will still win elections, we will not know what to do with our electoral success.

One of the characteristics of Information Age politics is a growing sense of self-reliance. With the spread of mass information and education, the public wants to make more of its own judgements, to take greater control of the decision making process. Across society, institutions that tell people what to do are losing support. This is true of all forms of hierarchy, whether expressed through government agencies, political parties, trade unions or churches. We have entered an era of institutional rebellion. Left-wing politics is the most prominent victim of this process. Each of our major institutions is in crisis. Trade union membership in Australia , for instance, has fallen to below 25 per cent of the workforce. The union movement has been crippled by an organisational contradiction: while economic activity has become more decentralised, it has gone down the path of amalgamations and centralised super-unions. This is one of the most ill-advised strategies in the history of Australian labour. Likewise, the old politics of statism is in decline. Contrary to the promise of the welfare state, there is not a government program for every social problem. Indeed, it is difficult to find a section of society that remains enthusiastic about the work of government. At one level, these shortcomings are entirely predictable. The state has adopted the organisational principles of the Industrial Age: hierarchies, mass production and standardisation. It is out of step with the demands of an increasingly diverse and self-reliant electorate. (University of New South Wales)
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posted: 7/25/10                   0       7
#27 
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