Articles by TRANSCEND Media Service

We found 26529 results.


US-Led Sanctions Targeting Syria Risk Adjudication as War Crimes
Franklin Lamb – TRANSCEND Media Service, 24 Oct 2016

Let there be established without further delay a Special Tribunal for Syria, so that the global community can render its judgment on all claims of War Crimes being committed daily in Syria, by all sides. And surely these claims include the US-led civilian targeting sanctions on the people of Syria.

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Travelers
Barbara Millar – TRANSCEND Media Service, 24 Oct 2016

Sea gulls squawked and arched their wings
and dove for scraps above the terminal
where long grey busses in their slots
waited for their human cargo,
each with his own destination.

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10 Learnings from 10 Years of Brain Pickings
Maria Popova | Brain Pickings – TRANSCEND Media Service, 24 Oct 2016

Fluid Reflections on Keeping a Solid Center – I left Bulgaria for America lured by the liberal arts education promise of being taught how to live. As the reality fell short of that promise, I began keeping my own record of what I was reading and learning outside the classroom in mapping this academically unaddressed terra incognita of being.

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The Greater Evil of ‘Lesser Evilism’
Emanuel E. Garcia, MD | Intrepid Report – TRANSCEND Media Service, 24 Oct 2016

It’s high time we freed ourselves from the politics of cronyism, fear and the greater evil of lesser evilism. If not now—when global stakes are at such a height, given nuclear weaponry, climate change, never-ending war and utter contempt for international law—when?

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Natural Rights: A Solution in the 18th Century, a Problem in the 21st
Howard Richards – TRANSCEND Media Service, 24 Oct 2016

Individual and Human Rights – Let’s talk about natural rights. What shall we say? Well, let’s begin the way students in law schools begin when they brief a legal opinion to prepare for a class. They read the dissenting opinion before they read the majority opinion. Starting with the dissent is a good way to bring the issues into focus.

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Religious Goddesses and Conditions of Women Today in India
Dr Ravi P Bhatia – TRANSCEND Media Service, 24 Oct 2016

Although I have focused on the situation of women in India today, in many parts of the world women are victims of prejudice, injustice and violence both physical and mental. What can be done to alleviate the situation? There is no easy answer. Let us remember that injustice and violence is taking many forms to which we must be sensitive and act against it sincerely.

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The Perils of Market-Driven Education
Noam Chomsky, CJ Polychroniou and Lily Sage | ZNet – TRANSCEND Media Service, 24 Oct 2016

What is the actual role of education and its link to democracy, to decent human relations and to a decent society? What defines a cultured and decent society? World-renowned linguist, social critic and activist Noam Chomsky shares his views on education and culture.

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Energy Transfer Partner’s “Black Snake” (the Dakota Access Pipeline) is at Risk of Being Beheaded
Gary G. Kohls, MD – TRANSCEND Media Service, 24 Oct 2016

Amy Goodman’s Legal Charges Concerning the Standing Rock Water Protests Dismissed – The ALCU is calling on the state of North Dakota to stop its suppression of the right to protest and to demilitarize Morton County. Sign our petition and learn more about Sacred Stone Camp and how you can help at

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What U.S. Progressives Should Do on Nov. 8
John Scales Avery – TRANSCEND Media Service, 24 Oct 2016

The drift towards militarism and fascism which we can observe today, not only in the United States but also in several other countries, is worryingly reminiscent of the 1930’s. We must fervently hope that the disasters which resulted then from the rise of fascism and militarism will not occur again, and we must work with dedication to prevent this from happening.

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Algarabías – (Music Video of the Week)
Vasco Hernández | ARC Music – TRANSCEND Media Service, 24 Oct 2016

Algarabías (Spanish): Yelling, boisterous and confusing babble of people shouting/speaking all at the same time.

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Myanmar’s Rohingya Continue to Suffer Systematic Extortion, Abuse
Physicians for Human Rights, Nobel Peace Laureates – TRANSCEND Media Service, 24 Oct 2016

Report from Physicians for Human Rights Shows Severe Persecution Contributes to Cycle of Poverty and Despair among Rohingya Minority

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This Week in History
Satoshi Ashikaga – TRANSCEND Media Service, 24 Oct 2016

Oct 24-30 ~ QUOTE OF THE WEEK: “To fear is to expect punishment. To love is to know that we are immersed not in darkness, but in light.” – Mother Teresa

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MSF Refused a Million Free Vaccines to Stand up to Big Pharma
teleSUR – TRANSCEND Media Service, 24 Oct 2016

16 Oct 2016 – Doctors Without Borders said last week it had refused a donation of one million pneumonia vaccinations from the drug manufacturer Pfizer as part of a principled stand against Big Pharma’s monopolistic drug-pricing policies. While Pfizer made $6.245 billion in revenue last year, 1.4 million children die each year from the pneumonia strain.

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I Voted
Gary Corseri – TRANSCEND Media Service, 24 Oct 2016

I voted today. …
I voted for peace and justice and sanity
In an insane world of violence and injustice.
I voted.

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What Is Peace Journalism?
Antonio C. S. Rosa | Editor – TRANSCEND Media Service, 24 Oct 2016

Profs. Jake Lynch and Dietrich Fischer reply to the question.

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As Honduras Activists Continue to Burn, US Backs Govt
teleSUR – TRANSCEND Media Service, 24 Oct 2016

21 Oct 2016 – The U.S. will continue giving millions of dollars in military funding to the Honduran government, despite the high-profile targeted assassinations and other human rights abuses documented this year in the Central American nation. The political instability plaguing the country largely followed from the U.S.-backed 2009 coup against President Elect Manuel Zelaya.

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Peacekeeping: Fiction vs. Reality
T.J. Petrowski | Dissident Voice – TRANSCEND Media Service, 24 Oct 2016

The word peacekeeping is like the word terrorism: it is meaningless on its own and able to be molded to serve the interests of a political clique. Peacekeeping “is usually an instrument for the attempted realization of a political…project that perpetrators lacking mass support are seeking.”

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Overview of Class Struggle in Latin America
Prof. James Petras – TRANSCEND Media Service, 24 Oct 2016

17 Oct 2016 – The class struggle from below has taken different forms and directions, with greater or lesser intensity, between countries and within countries in different time periods.

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Russia’s First Ever Monument to Tsar Ivan the Terrible Unveiled in Oryol
TASS | RBTH Network – TRANSCEND Media Service, 24 Oct 2016

14 Oct 2016 – The first monument to Tsar Ivan the Terrible in Russia was unveiled on Oct. 14 in the city of Oryol, founded by the Tsar. The monument was erected near the Epiphany Cathedral and Minister of Culture Vladimir Medinsky welcomed the decision.

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Battle for Mosul. Can There Be Respect for the Laws of War?
Rene Wadlow – TRANSCEND Media Service, 24 Oct 2016

In a situation confused by the number and nationalities of the groups in combat and the very ethnically and religiously mixed population of Mosul, what possibilities exist for respect of the laws of war? The laws of war, now often called humanitarian law, have two wings, one dealing with the treatment of medical personnel in armed conflict situations, the treatment of the military wounded and prisoners of war as well as the protection of civilians

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Prof. Johan Galtung (24 Oct 1930)
Antonio C. S. Rosa | Editor – TRANSCEND Media Service, 24 Oct 2016

Johan Vincent Galtung was born in Oslo, Norway on the same day that the UN would come to existence 15 years later. He was jailed for six months at age 24 as a Conscientious Objector to military service. In jail he wrote his first book, Gandhi’s Political Ethics, together with his mentor, Arne Næss. This event would trigger a world-changing lifetime work for peace: 167 books, plus.

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The Funeral Ruckus
Uri Avnery | Gush Shalom – TRANSCEND Media Service, 24 Oct 2016

Shimon Peres would have enjoyed it. A public battle about his funeral. The Arab members of the Knesset did not attend. So what? I did not attend, either. We never liked each other, and my attendance would have been sheer hypocrisy. I don’t like hypocrisy… One thing is quite certain: there will be no change for the better in Israel, no change of government and policy, unless the Arab citizens and their representatives become an integral part of the new peace force without which there is no hope.

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The Middle East and the Next Administration
Chas W. Freeman, Jr. | LobeLog – TRANSCEND Media Service, 24 Oct 2016

The U.S. is making enemies all over the Muslim world. And every day here at home, millions pay homage to the memory of Osama as they remove their shoes to pass through metal detectors and are stripped of their dignity by body-imaging devices at airports. Americans are less secure, less prosperous, and less free than we were as this century began. In life, Osama was transformative. In death, he continues to shape the world he left behind.

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The Invitation
Oriah | Mountain Dreamer – TRANSCEND Media Service, 24 Oct 2016

It doesn’t interest me what you do for a living. I want to know what you ache for and if you dare to dream of meeting your heart’s longing…

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Google Has Quietly Dropped Ban on Personally Identifiable Web Tracking
Julia Angwin | ProPublica – TRANSCEND Media Service, 24 Oct 2016

Google is the latest tech company to drop the longstanding wall between anonymous online ad tracking and user’s names.

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If the Media Too Will Become a Party
Dr. M. Ashaq Raza - TRANSCEND Media Service, 24 Oct 2016

If the media too will become a party
Who will then resolve the conflicts?

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War or Peace?
Dennis Kucinich – TRANSCEND Media Service, 24 Oct 2016

20 Oct 2016 – The most consequential statement by Secretary Clinton in last night’s debate was her pronouncement that a no-fly zone over Syria could “save lives and hasten the end of the conflict,” that a no-fly zone would provide “safe zones on the ground” was in “the best interests of the people on the ground in Syria” and would “help us with our fight against ISIS.” It would do none of the above.

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Drunks
Dietrich Fischer – TRANSCEND Media Service, 24 Oct 2016

Recently, a routine police patrol was parked outside a local neighborhood bar in Minnesota. Late in the evening, the officer noticed a man leaving the bar so intoxicated that he could barely walk.

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The Uniform Civil Code Debate in India: Unveiling the Myths
Moin Qazi – TRANSCEND Media Service, 24 Oct 2016

The Indian government has embarked on a marathon exercise of seeking public opinion on having a Uniform Civil Code. A uniform civil code will mean that personal laws will become subservient to constitutional law. The Constitution enjoins all religions and faiths to be respected equally and adherents be free to carry out the articles of their faith.

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Free Distribution of Two UN Books
Surya Nath Prasad – TRANSCEND Media Service, 24 Oct 2016

At the Occasion of the 71st Anniversary of the United Nations, 24 October 2016

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Spanish Court Overturns Catalonian Bullfighting Ban
teleSUR – TRANSCEND Media Service, 24 Oct 2016

Spain’s Constitutional Court on Thursday [20 Oct] overturned a ban on bullfighting imposed in Catalonia, calling it a cultural asset protected under national law in a ruling likely to fuel political tensions between the region and Madrid. Bullfighting, a bloody ritual intended to ennoble both the “torero” and his victim, has been popular in Spain for generations.

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The Crackdown on Dakota Access Pipeline Reporters Shows the Vital Role of Independent Media
Sarah Aziza | Waging Nonviolence – TRANSCEND Media Service, 24 Oct 2016

The recent arrests of independent journalists have raised questions about state suppression, free speech and the line between activism and journalism.

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Why Wall Street’s Scandals Keep Coming
Maureen O'Hara | Market Watch – TRANSCEND Media Service, 24 Oct 2016

It’s too easy for Wall Street to overlook ethical constraints and only care about the ends, not the means.

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Washington’s Global Economic Wars
Prof. James Petras – TRANSCEND Media Service, 24 Oct 2016

18 Oct 2016 – During most of the past two decades Washington has aggressively launched military and economic wars against at least nine countries, either directly or through its military aid to regional allies and proxies. US air and ground troops have bombed or invaded Afghanistan, Iraq, Pakistan, Libya, Somalia, Syria, Yemen and Lebanon.

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Masters of War Have Names!
James Albertini | Malu 'Aina Center for Non-violent Education & Action – TRANSCEND Media Service, 24 Oct 2016

Among Bob Dylan’s many songs written over decades was “Masters of War” that included these lyrics:
“Come you masters of war, You that build the big guns, You that build the death planes. You that build all the bombs. You that hide behind walls. You that hide behind desks. I just want you to know I can see through your masks…

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Why Okinawa Should Matter
Richard Falk | Global Justice in the 21st Century – TRANSCEND Media Service, 17 Oct 2016

12 Oct 2016 – An earlier version of this post appeared in the Japanese publication, Ryukyu Shimpo. The article is devoted to a critical discussion of Okinawa’s role in serving American and Japanese strategic interests. Since the end of World War II Okinawa has been a mostly unhappy host of American military bases, and the issue has been prominent at times on the agenda of the Japanese peace movement.

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(Italiano) Paesaggio mediatico: una visita guidata
Johan Galtung | Centro Studi Sereno Regis – TRANSCEND Media Service, 17 Oct 2016

Il punto focale è su quanto i media rendano trasparente il mondo. Parole e immagini facilitano diagnosi, prognosi, terapia, (DPT), altrimenti definibili come analisi, previsione e rimedi? Sì e no.

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A Nonviolent Strategy to End the Climate Catastrophe
Robert J. Burrowes, Ph.D. – TRANSCEND Media Service, 17 Oct 2016

As the evidence mounts that we are fast approaching the final point-of-no-return beyond which it will be impossible to take sufficient effective action to prevent climate catastrophe – the evidence of ineffective official responses climbs too. So what are we to do?

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Challenge of Three Paradigm Shifts for the 8th BRICS Summit: To Facilitate an Economy of Entrepreneurs
Mazher Hussain | COVA – TRANSCEND Media Service, 17 Oct 2016

There appears some orientation in BRICS for sustainable development and employment to eradicate poverty unlike most other multilateral formations like G 8, World Bank and IMF that focus on mega projects, trade and investment. Indeed it is significant that the 8th BRICS Summit in Goa Oct 15-16 also undertake finalisation of a framework for cooperation for promoting MSME Sector.

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Panama: The Hidden Trillions
Alan Rusbridger | The New York Review of Books - TRANSCEND Media Service, 17 Oct 2016

In a seminar room in Oxford, one of the reporters who worked on the Panama Papers is describing the main conclusion he drew from his months of delving into millions of leaked documents about tax evasion. “Basically, we’re the dupes in this story,” he says. “Previously, we thought that the offshore world was a shadowy, but minor, part of our economic system. What we learned from the Panama Papers is that IT IS the economic system.”

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(Italiano) Nel frattempo – In giro per il mondo
Johan Galtung – Centro Studi Sereno Regis – TRANSCEND Media Service, 17 Oct 2016

11 ottobre 2016 – Il Dibattito: Qualcuno ha detto che il problema è la possibilità di ritrovarsi con Trump e la probabilità di ritrovarsi con la Clinton. Dunque una ben misera alternativa tra una persona autistica che vive nella sua bolla e una criminale di guerra che sta privatizzando persino la sua azione militare? Le notizie sull’evento hanno riguardato “chi ha vinto”, non qualche nuova linea politica.

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9 Reasons That Nobel Peace Prize to Juan M. Santos Was a Wrong Decision
Johan Galtung – TRANSCEND Media Service, 17 Oct 2016

[1] Only the government side got the prize 7 October, not FARC; the same mistake as the 1971 prize only to Willy Brandt, not also Brezhnev and the 2000 prize to Kim Dae-jung, not also to North Korea. It takes (at least) two to make a handshake; one hand is only shaking the air.

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Whose Side is “God, god, gods, g _ d,” _ _ _ on? A Reprise and More
Anthony J. Marsella, Ph.D. - TRANSCEND Media Service, 17 Oct 2016

17 Oct 2016 – This paper is an expanded version of a paper first published in TMS on Jan 7, 2013, under a similar title. The focus of the first paper was the invocation of “God, god, g _ d” as a “moral” rationale for justifying wars, occupation, and invasion by empires, nations, religions, and dictators. Invoking the moral authority of “God, god, gods, g _ d” is a timeless ploy used to assure military invincibility, enlist public support, and comfort public doubts about consequences of violence, destruction, and war.

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The Kissinger Story
Uri Avnery | Gush Shalom – TRANSCEND Media Service, 17 Oct 2016

14 Oct 2016 – I am writing this (may God forgive me) on Yom Kippur. Exactly 43 years ago, at this exact moment, the sirens sounded… The Yom Kippur war cost many thousands of lives, Israeli, Egyptian and Syrian. Kissinger achieved his goal. The Soviets lost the Arab world to the United States. Until Vladimir Putin came along.

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From War to Peace
Hank Stone – TRANSCEND Media Service, 17 Oct 2016

The U.S. has the technology to replace the war system with a world peace system, and has the capability to declare peace on the world, and make it stick. But a peace system is very cheap compared to the war system. This means switching to world peace is politically impossible. Beneficiaries of business as usual, including the war system, have the clout to protect themselves from change. The way to make transition to world peace possible – even easy – is to recreate the benefits of war within the peace system.

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(Castellano) BRICS debaten sobre economía, terrorismo y cambio climático
teleSUR – TRANSCEND Media Service, 17 Oct 2016

15 octubre 2016 – Diversos temas mundiales, con énfasis en los económicos, serán abordados desde este sábado la VIII Cumbre de los países BRICS (Brasil, Rusia, India, China y Suráfrica) a desarrollarse en Panaji, capital del estado indio de Goa.

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(Français) La responsabilité des multinationales dans le conflit armé colombien
Jorge Freytter-Florian et Juan Hernandez Zubizarreta | Investig’Action – TRANSCEND Media Service, 17 Oct 2016

14 Oct 2016 – Dans le conflit colombien, beaucoup d’entreprises nationales et internationales s’en prennent systématiquement aux droits de l’Homme. L’Accord Final définissant les termes de la fin du conflit et la construction d’une paix stable et durable aborde cette question.

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What Color Is The Wind? A Most Unusual Serenade to the Senses, Inspired by a Blind Child
Maria Popova | Brain Pickings – TRANSCEND Media Service, 17 Oct 2016

“What is essential is invisible to the eye,” Antoine de Saint-Exupéry wrote in The Little Prince. Those bereft of vision, therefore, need not be bereft of the essential — they discern it by means other than sight. An imaginative invitation to empathy and self-expansion.

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South Asia Regional Cooperation: What Is in It for the Citizens?
Kedar Neupane – TRANSCEND Media Service, 17 Oct 2016

SAARC has become an outdated and ineffective institution for the purpose it was conceived. It contributes little in creating positive climate for investment, trade, economic development and regional prosperity or in establishing socio-economic and political harmony. It has no road map on political cooperation, economic development and, above all, maintaining regional peace and security.

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Brazil: The Billion Dollar Coup
Prof. James Petras – TRANSCEND Media Service, 17 Oct 2016

Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff was removed from office through a well-organized, carefully planned operation among the corrupt Brazilian political elite, closely linked to the stock-market, financial institutions and foreign energy companies.

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Obituary: Great Barrier Reef (25 Million BC-2016) RIP
Rowan Jacobsen | Outside Online – TRANSCEND Media Service, 17 Oct 2016

The Great Barrier Reef of Australia passed away in 2016 after a long illness. It was 25 million years old. Climate change and ocean acidification have killed off one of the most spectacular features on the planet. Attempts to call attention to the reef’s plight were thwarted by the government of Australia itself.

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US Congressman to John Kerry: Are We Committing War Crimes in Yemen?
Daniel McAdams | Ron Paul Institute – TRANSCEND Media Service, 17 Oct 2016

On Tuesday [11 Oct], US Representative Ted Lieu (D-CA) wrote a remarkable letter to Secretary of State John Kerry. Citing the “civilian carnage caused by the Saudi Arabia-led military coalition in Yemen,” he expressed concern to Kerry that the US government might be “liable for war crimes in Yemen,” based on continued US material support for the ongoing Saudi attack on its southern neighbor.

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Oath of Office
Jonik – TRANSCEND Media Service, 17 Oct 2016

I swear…

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The Network of Global Corporate Control
Stefania Vitali, James B. Glattfelder and Stefano Battiston | Eidgenössische Technische Hochschule ETH Zürich – TRANSCEND Media Service, 17 Oct 2016

Abstract: The structure of the control network of transnational corporations affects global market competition and financial stability. So far, only small national samples were studied and there was no appropriate methodology to assess control globally. We present the first investigation of the architecture of the international ownership network, along with the computation of the control held by each global player. We find that transnational corporations form a giant bow-tie structure and that a large portion of control flows to a small tightly-knit core of financial institutions. This core can be seen as an economic “super-entity” that raises new important issues both for researchers and policy makers.

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Clair de lune (Music Video of the Week)
Jia Wang, Piano – TRANSCEND Media Service, 17 Oct 2016

By the French composer Claude-Achille Debussy. He and Maurice Ravel were the most prominent figures associated with Impressionist music, though Debussy disliked the term when applied to his compositions. Wikipedia

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Oona’s Mum
Sumeet Grover – TRANSCEND Media Service, 17 Oct 2016

– What is that philosophy book you were reading?
Have you written something new? Five days
I didn’t hear a word… what about your local
peace group? Be gentle, do not criticise them,
they will realise one day –

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(Castellano) Haití, herida abierta de América Latina
Gisela Brito | CELAG-Centro Estratégico Latinoamericano de Geopolítica – TRANSCEND Media Service, 17 Oct 2016

Luego del terremoto de 2010, la Minustah, las ONG’S y una minúscula pero poderosa élite local gobiernan el país. Las consecuencias no pueden ser peores para la mayoría de la población. La debilidad institucional y los intereses predatorios se conjugan para dar lugar a un millonario negocio que florece día a día desviando fondos destinados a ayuda humanitaria y reconstrucción ante el encubridor mutismo de la «comunidad internacional»

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This Week in History
Satoshi Ashikaga – TRANSCEND Media Service, 17 Oct 2016

Oct 17-23 ~ QUOTE OF THE WEEK: “Faith is to believe what you do not see; the reward of this faith is to see what you believe.” – Saint Augustine

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(Português) É o Estado, imbecis!
Emir Sader | Brasil 247 – TRANSCEND Media Service, 17 Oct 2016

São governos que levam ao coração do Estado os interesses do capital financeiro, que eleva exponencialmente seus lucros, redistribuindo renda para cima, como um Robin Hood ao contrário, tomando dos pobres para dar mais ainda aos ricos.

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Start of Fifth Annual Maine Peace Walk
Eric Herter – TRANSCEND Media Service, 17 Oct 2016

On October 11th, about twenty Peace Walkers, ages ranging from ten to seventy-nine, gathered at the Indian Island, Maine, home of the Penobscot Nation, for inspirational talks from Sherri Mitchell, a tribal lawyer, activist and writer, and from Tribal Chief Francis. The following morning they started their two-week trek to the southern border of Maine hundreds of miles to the south, a trip that will take them to many Maine communities, home-stays and community gatherings. They describe here why they feel impelled to spend a fortnight on the road speaking out for peace, and for the defense of Mother Earth.

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Haiti’s Hurricane Devastation: A Tragedy Rooted in Capitalist Oppression
Bill Van Auken | WSWS – TRANSCEND Media Service, 17 Oct 2016

In the wake of the 2010 earthquake, international donors pledged $10.4 billion for Haiti, including $3.9 billion from the US. The chief figure overseeing this relief effort was Bill Clinton, whose previous “gift” to the people of Haiti was a trade deal that eliminated tariffs on rice imports from the US subsidized by the American government, bankrupting Haiti’s own rice producers and leaving the country unable to feed itself.

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(Français) Les Etats-Unis devront-ils aussi payer pour leurs crimes en Irak?
Gilles Munier | Investig’Action – TRANSCEND Media Service, 17 Oct 2016

L’Arab project in Iraq, un groupe de lobbyistes irakiens dirigé par Najeh al-Meezan, va demander au Parlement de Bagdad de voter une loi permettant aux Irakiens de réclamer des compensations aux Etats-Unis pour les «exactions » commises dans leur pays par les troupes américaines, les contractors et les escadrons de la mort créés par la CIA.

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Political Defamation Campaign Targets Rescue Workers in Syria
Franklin Lamb – TRANSCEND Media Service, 17 Oct 2016

The White Helmets are being attacked with all sorts of unfounded accusations and conspiracy theories that have nothing to do with who the volunteers are, what the rescue workers are actually doing, why they are doing it, and their contacts, if any at all, with members of the international public or even political factions abroad.

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(Português) A Desordem Mundial: O Espectro da Total Dominação
Leonardo Boff – TRANSCEND Media Service, 17 Oct 2016

A conclusão é avassaladora:”Onde quer que os Estados Unidos intervieram, como o “specific goal of bringing democracy”, a democracia constitui-se de bombardeios, destruição, terror, massacres, caos e catástrofes humanitárias…entraram para defender suas necessidades e interesses econômicos e geopolíticos, seus interesses imperiais”

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The Ubiquity of Joy and Poetry
Emanuel E. Garcia, MD | Intrepid Report – TRANSCEND Media Service, 17 Oct 2016

A world in which the explorations of nature, the contemplation of art and the bringing together of people concerned not so much with what they can amass, with what fortresses they build, with what territory they can extend, but with what they may share, would prevail. A world of delight in the subtleties of the word, person to person, lip to ear. A world in which life would be all the more precious for its transience and fragility.

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The Surveillance State Descends on the Dakota Access Pipeline Spirit Camp
Sabrina King and Will Munger | American Civil Liberties Union-ACLU – TRANSCEND Media Service, 17 Oct 2016

10 Oct 2016 – For the past six weeks, the Morton County Sheriff’s Office has dramatically increased its surveillance of the gathering, militarized the county, and taken action to suppress the religious expression of the indigenous people gathered at Sacred Stone.

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Peace Education for Good Governance and Nonviolence
Surya Nath Prasad, Ph.D. – TRANSCEND Media Service, 17 Oct 2016

International Association of Educators for World Peace Congress: Peace Education for Good Governance and Nonviolence – October 24-26, 2016 Maharashtra, India

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A Milestone for America’s Culture
James A. Haught | PeaceVoice – TRANSCEND Media Service, 17 Oct 2016

When I was a young adult, the only Americans who mattered were WASPs (white Anglo-Saxon Protestants). They were the overwhelming majority. Their laws and customs dominated everything. But now, they’ve dwindled to just 16 percent among those under 30. And they’re destined to keep shrinking as nonwhite Americans rise, the Census Bureau projects.

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Leaked Clinton email Admits Saudi, Qatari Governments Funding ISIS in Syria
Bill Van Auken | WSWS – TRANSCEND Media Service, 17 Oct 2016

An email exchange between Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton and her campaign manager John Podesta, posted Monday [10 Oct] by WikiLeaks, frankly acknowledges that the Islamic State (also known as ISIS) is funded and supported by Washington’s chief allies in the Arab world.

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The Convoluted Discourse: Was the Women’s Boat to Gaza an Existential Threat?
Ramzy Baroud | Politics for the People – TRANSCEND Media Service, 17 Oct 2016

“We will not accept any (rocket) fire, any provocation, against the citizens of Israel by whoever it might be, or any attack on Israel’s sovereignty. Not rocket fire, and not a flotilla,” Lieberman said. The activists atop the boat included Nobel Peace Prize winner Mairead Maguire of Northern Ireland. In Lieberman’s logic, Maguire’s act to end a decade-long blockade on a poor region is equivalent to the firing of a rocket.

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Delusions of Worthy Wars
Nicolas J S Davies | PeaceVoice – TRANSCEND Media Service, 17 Oct 2016

When we compare our military spending to that of other countries, we are outspending the next 9 military powers in the world, and we are single-handedly spending more than 180 less militarized countries combined. Clearly it has not enabled the U.S. to win any wars. The only wars we have won since WWII were over tiny Grenada, Panama, Kuwait and Kosovo. Hillary Clinton derided those operations as “splendid little wars” in a speech to the Council on Foreign Relations, as she urged more ambitious uses of U.S. military force.

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Think Critically! Don’t Be Fooled!
James Albertini | Malu 'Aina Center for Non-violent Education & Action – TRANSCEND Media Service, 17 Oct 2016

The U.S. Mainstream Corporate Media is very good at blaming and demonizing others, especially Russian President Vladimir Putin and Syrian President Bashar al-Assad. The real purpose is to attack anyone who opposes U.S. dominance as the world’s sole superpower. Somehow the U.S. believes it has the right to decide who should rule or not rule in countries all around the world.

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(Italiano) Gandhi: ‘La mia vita è il mio messaggio’
Robert J. Burrowes | Z Net Italy – TRANSCEND Media Service, 17 Oct 2016

La vita di Gandhi fu contrassegnata da molte citazioni memorabili, ma una che è meno nota è questa: “Non puoi mai sapere quali risultati produrranno le tue azioni, ma se non fai nulla non ci saranno risultati”. Fortunatamente ci sono molte persone impegnate che hanno identificato l’importanza di agire per por fine alla violenza nel nostro mondo.

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Christopher Columbus, Crawl Back in Your Hole!
Gary Corseri – TRANSCEND Media Service, 17 Oct 2016

Christopher Columbus, crawl back in your hole!
Take you Nina, Pinta and Santa Magreedier!
We know what you did in Hispaniola!
We watched silver helmets glint in the sun.
We saw you claim our island for Spain!
Idiot!

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Alcoholism [Not a Joke!]
TRANSCEND Media Service, 17 Oct 2016

Hooked for Life

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A Short List of the Most Lethal CIA Interventions in Latin America
Edited by Gary G. Kohls, MD – TRANSCEND Media Service, 17 Oct 2016

In its 200 year history, the USA has intervened in, invaded or militarily occupied the following Western Hemisphere nations: Canada, Confederate States of America, Mexico, Cuba, Haiti, Dominican Republic, Guatemala, Honduras, El Salvador, Nicaragua, Costa Rica, Colombia, Panama, Venezuela, Surinam, Brazil, Ecuador, Peru, Bolivia, Paraguay, Uruguay, Chile, Argentina, Puerto Rico, and Grenada.

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Was the Nobel Peace Prize in 2016 Wrongly Awarded?
Richard Falk | Global Justice in the 21st Century – TRANSCEND Media Service, 17 Oct 2016

My comment critical of the award is printed below, and is followed by an even more critical comment by Fredrik S. Heffermehl, a Norwegian jurist who has taken a special interest in the Nobel Peace Prize, especially making a great effort to call attention to the failure of the Norwegian committee that is responsible for deciding on recipients to adhere to the will and intentions of Alfred Nobel who established this most coveted of international awards at the end of the nineteenth century.

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Swiss Ban New Nuclear Reactors
Craig Morris | Energy Transition – TRANSCEND Media Service, 17 Oct 2016

6 Oct 2016 – Another setback for the “nuclear renaissance”: Switzerland voted on Friday [30 Sep] to focus more on renewables and efficiency. For the first time ever, new nuclear plants are officially off the table. The Swiss just “adopted the Energiewende,” writes the Neue Züricher Zeitung. Is no one paying attention?

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Ending Marginalization and Exclusion
Rene Wadlow – TRANSCEND Media Service, 17 Oct 2016

17 October was set by the UN General Assembly as the International Day for the Eradication of Poverty. October 17 is the anniversary of a 1987 meeting in Paris near where the Universal Declaration of Human Rights was signed in 1948–a reminder that the victims of extreme poverty, hunger and violence do not enjoy the rights that are set out in the Universal Declaration.

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The Great Diversion: Democrats Focus on Sex Scandal as Conflict with Russia Escalates
Andre Damon | WSWS – TRANSCEND Media Service, 17 Oct 2016

Behind a nearly total media blackout, the White House National Security Council held a closed-door meeting Friday [14 Oct] to review the US military’s campaign in Iraq and Syria. The only major media advance report on the meeting, carried by Reuters on Thursday and then quickly dropped, noted that US officials were weighing “air strikes on Syrian military bases, munitions depots or radar and anti-aircraft bases.”

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Farewell to Florence
Emanuel E. García, MD – TRANSCEND Media Service, 17 Oct 2016

I left a jacket
Purposefully
At the Piazza della Signoria

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9 Reasons Why Nobel to Santos Was a Wrong Decision
Johan Galtung – TRANSCEND Media Service, 13 Oct 2016

[1] Only the government side got the prize 7 October, not FARC; the same mistake as the 1971 prize only to Willy Brandt, not also Brezhnev and the 2000 prize to Kim Dae-jung, not also to North Korea. It takes (at least) two to make a handshake; one hand is only shaking the air.

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Concordian Mandala as a Symbolic Nexus
Anthony Judge | Laetus in praesens – TRANSCEND Media Service, 10 Oct 2016

Insights from Dynamics of a Pentagonal Configuration of Nonagons in 3D – The case for a “concordian mandala” was made previously. This was inspired by the social chaos purportedly addressed by the so-called Discordian Mandala. The mandala is described in the controversial Principia Discordia, elaborated by Greg Hill with Kerry Wendell, as the provocative doctrinal manifesto of Discordianism.

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World Food Day: A Focus on Food Security in Yemen
Rene Wadlow – TRANSCEND Media Service, 10 Oct 2016

16 October is World Food Day, so designated by the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization – a yearly reminder that there are people who are constantly hungry due to inadequate agricultural methods, poor distribution, poor food storage, and armed conflict.

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(Castellano) Me llaman calle (Music Video of the Week)
Manu Chao – TRANSCEND Media Service, 10 Oct 2016

The legendary Argentinean pop group notorious for the sarcastic yet truthful socially conscious messages their music carry. This one is about prostitutes on the streets of the world.

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(Castellano) Colombia: Las víctimas votaron por el Sí
Semana – TRANSCEND Media Service, 10 Oct 2016

Un vistazo a las regiones más afectadas por el conflicto permite ver una de las grandes paradojas de Colombia: quienes más muertos pusieron en la guerra apoyaron más el Acuerdo.

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The Geopolitics of Shimon Peres’ Legacy
Richard Falk | Global Justice in the 21st Century – TRANSCEND Media Service, 10 Oct 2016

Basically, the question posed is whether to celebrate Peres’ death as that of a man dedicated to peace and reconciliation or to portray him as a wily opportunist, a skillful image-maker, and in the end, a harsh Zionist and ambitious Israeli leader.

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WikiLeaks: 10 Years of Pushing the Boundaries of Free Speech
Nozomi Hayase | Dissident Voice – TRANSCEND Media Service, 10 Oct 2016

We are now entering WikiLeaks 10 year anniversary. The organization registered their domain on October 4, 2006 and blazed into the public limelight in the spring of 2010 with the publication of Collateral Murder. This video footage depicted the cruel scenery of modern war seen from an Apache helicopter gun-sight. It became an international sensation, with the website temporarily crashing with the massive influx of visitors.

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Stories from Returning #WomenToGaza – Struggle to End Illegal Israeli Blockade Continues
Women’s Boat to Gaza – TRANSCEND Media Service, 10 Oct 2016

8 Oct 2016 – When Zaytouna-Oliva was surrounded by Israeli war ships, Mairead Maguire stated: “This is Israeli state piracy” and she continued as the yacht was illegally boarded and commandeered. The women were detained for two days–a relatively short time compared with previous flotillas–perhaps due to the enormous support from individuals, organisations, MEPs, and high profile personalities such as Pink Floyd. After being taken to Israel against their will, some of them report they were prevented from sleeping during their detention.

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The Secret Life of Trees: The Astonishing Science of What Trees Feel and How They Communicate
Maria Popova | Brain Pickings – TRANSCEND Media Service, 10 Oct 2016

“A tree can be only as strong as the forest that surrounds it.” Trees dominate the world, the oldest living organisms. Hermann Hesse called them “the most penetrating of preachers.”

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Will Politicians and the Corporate Media Say the Truth One Day?
Alberto Portugheis – TRANSCEND Media Service, 10 Oct 2016

In fact the truth is very simple: Eastern Aleppo will be destroyed because of the “success” of the latest attempts to broker an increase of fighters, fighting vehicles, weapons, ammunition, missiles and explosives. I shall continue my campaign for the abolition of militarism.

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The National Theatre of Norway’s Official Apology for the Cooperation with Habima of Israel
nationaltheatret beklager – TRANSCEND Media Service, 10 Oct 2016

Sep 22, 2016 – “In 2014 the National Theater of Norway collaborated with Habima, the National Theater of Israel, on the project TERRORISM organized by the European Theater Union, UTE. Habima breaks international law when they perform in illegal Jewish settlements in the occupied Palestinian territories.”

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Apple, Brussels, and Ireland’s Bruised Sovereignty
Yanis Varoufakis | Project Syndicate – TRANSCEND Media Service, 10 Oct 2016

Is the Commission’s latest intervention another example of EU bullying, in violation of Ireland’s sovereignty? Comparing Trichet’s 2009 intervention and the current standoff over Apple holds important lessons beyond Ireland and, indeed, Europe. With the EU still refusing meaningful reduction of a debt burden unfairly borne by the younger generation, the Irish remain convinced, correctly, that the EU violated their sovereignty on behalf of foreign bankers.

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(Français) Che Guevara, Inti Paredo… Pour la vengeance, la route n’est jamais trop longue
Hernando Calvo Ospina | Investig’Action – TRANSCEND Media Service, 10 Oct 2016

8 Oct 2016 – Alors qu’Ernesto « Che » Guevara venait d’être assassiné, le colonel bolivien, Roberto Quintanilla, lui fit amputer les mains. Ce fut un outrage terrible qu’il commit le 9 octobre 1967. Il devint l’homme le plus haï de la gauche mondiale qui était à l’époque nombreuse et radicale.

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After the Coup: Nonviolent Strategic Actions for Brazilians
Robert J. Burrowes, Ph.D. – TRANSCEND Media Service, 10 Oct 2016

As I see and read about the ongoing massive protests, as well as calls by prominent community leaders to mobilize in defense of your country’s democracy, I feel great hope for Brazil. Having been a nonviolent activist for many years, I would like to support Brazilian activists to develop a nonviolent strategy that will increase your chances of success. Please read on.

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The Horrors of a Hurricane, Doubled by Statelessness
Skye Wheeler | Human Rights Watch – TRANSCEND Media Service, 10 Oct 2016

3 Oct 2016 – My thoughts tonight are with Haitians, but also with the perhaps thousands of stateless people—including children—along Haiti’s border with the Dominican Republic. They live in make-shift camps constructed from sticks, cardboard and clothes tied or sewn together into tent-like structures. I can’t imagine many worse places to be when a hurricane dumps 40 inches of rain.

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Why Aleppo Is the Symptom of What Is Wrong with How We Deal with Atrocities
Patrick T. Hiller | PeaceVoice – TRANSCEND Media Service, 10 Oct 2016

It is time to follow a new path. A path that is not informed by some sort of perceived naïve pacifism, but by rigorous analysis of nonviolent alternatives without a so-called military option as part of the picture. The military option needs to be taken off the table, otherwise all the other approaches are facing a counterforce and are directly undermined.

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Guccifer 2.0 Hacked Clinton Foundation
guccifer2 – TRANSCEND Media Service, 10 Oct 2016

4 Oct 2016 – Many of you have been waiting for this, some even asked me to do it. So, this is the moment. I hacked the Clinton Foundation server and downloaded hundreds of thousands of docs and donors’ databases.

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(Português) Árvore mais antiga de Portugal tem 2850 anos
Sofia Marques Correia | Noctula Channel – TRANSCEND Media Service, 10 Oct 2016

A árvore mais antiga que se conhece em Portugal é uma oliveira com 2850 anos. Tem 10 metros e 15 centímetros de diâmetro e, apesar da idade, ainda dá azeitonas!

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Does Syria Have the Right to Defend Itself?
Rick Sterling | Dissident Voice – TRANSCEND Media Service, 10 Oct 2016

4 Oct 2016 – There is a hypocritical disconnect in Western and especially U.S. foreign policy. When it comes to Israel, the US is quick to claim “Israel has a right to defend itself”. For Syria, that same right does not seem to exist. Two things are clear:
• The public should be wary of media stories based on the claims of biased actors and not supported by solid evidence; and,
• The Syrian government has the right to defend itself against foreign-funded violent extremists seeking to destroy it.

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