SchwartzReport: Toxins That Threaten Brains
03 Economy, 07 Health, 11 Society, Collective Intelligence, Earth Intelligence
This is a very sobering essay. Read this carefully and it will give you information to make informed choices with how a number of chemicals enter your life, or are kept out. Click through to see the many useful graphics that accompany this report.
The Toxins That Threaten Our Brains
JAMES HAMBLIN – The Atlantic
Forty-one million IQ points. That’s what Dr. David Bellinger determined Americans have collectively forfeited as a result of exposure to lead, mercury, and organophosphate pesticides. In a 2012 paper published by the National Institutes of Health, Bellinger, a professor of neurology at Harvard Medical School, compared intelligence quotients among children whose mothers had been exposed to these neurotoxins while pregnant to those who had not. Bellinger calculates a total loss of 16.9 million IQ points due to exposure to organophosphates, the most common pesticides used in agriculture.
Rickard Falkvinge: My Addess to the European Pirates
Collective Intelligence, Commercial Intelligence, Cultural Intelligence
My Address To The European Pirates
Pirate Parties: This weekend, hundreds of pirates from all over Europe gathered in the European Parliament to formally found the European Pirate Party. It was an amazing gathering of determined activists, many of which were absolutely electrified at realizing the sheer scale of this movement, seeing 400 of Europe’s brightest activists gathering for the occasion. I had the honor of giving one of the opening keynotes (below).
The exact sequence of words has been slightly edited for readability.
Amelia Andersdotter: Tonight, we have the honor of welcoming a very special keynote speaker. He was the founder of the Swedish Pirate Party in 2006, a reaction to changes in the Swedish legislation brought about by the same directive that Julia Reda [the previous speaker] asks us to pay close attention to in the coming five years. Since 2006, he has succeeded not only in forming a political party in Sweden, but also to bring all of us together here. I would like to welcome up on the stage — Rick Falkvinge.
Rick Falkvinge: Thank you so much, Member of European Parliament Andersdotter, all staff, and all volunteers, for making this possible.
I would imagine a lot of us speak almost daily about tactical operational details about how we go about changing the world. It’s what we strive for, after all: we are here to change the entire world for the better. Nothing more, and nothing less.
So instead of talking about operational details, having so many prominent people here today, I take the opportunity to remind us all how large our goal and our opportunities are.
The title of this conference is Internet Governance. You see a lot of conferences called Internet Governance these days. The problem is, it’s a total contradiction in terms. This term, Internet Governance — this is not an Internet term. Nobody on the Internet would talk about Internet Governance. This is a governmental term, this is a corporate term. And there are reasons for that.
Continue reading “Rickard Falkvinge: My Addess to the European Pirates”
Francis, Jesuit & Pope: Happy, Open, Thinking, Women on His Mind (Need for a Theology of Women)
Collective Intelligence, Cultural Intelligence, Earth Intelligence, Peace IntelligencePhi Beta Iota: It is increasingly clear that The Most Holy Father Francis, a Jesuit, is likely to be one of the most important voices of this century. This one interview appears to capture the essence of the man, a sinner blessed and chosen by God, to help us all discern and then carry out God's will. We are taking the liberty of reprinting the entire interview to encourage a full reading, so many of our visitor's being reluctant to click through to unknown sites.
The exclusive interview with Pope Francis
Antonio Spadar, S. J.
America, 30 September 2013
Editor’s Note: This interview with Pope Francis took place over the course of three meetings during August 2013 in Rome. The interview was conducted in person by Antonio Spadaro, S.J., editor in chief of La Civiltà Cattolica, the Italian Jesuit journal. Father Spadaro conducted the interview on behalf of La Civiltà Cattolica, America and several other major Jesuit journals around the world. The editorial teams at each of the journals prepared questions and sent them to Father Spadaro, who then consolidated and organized them. The interview was conducted in Italian. After the Italian text was officially approved, America commissioned a team of five independent experts to translate it into English. America is solely responsible for the accuracy of this translation.
Father Spadaro met the pope at the Vatican in the pope’s apartments in the Casa Santa Marta, where he has chosen to live since his election. Father Spadaro begins his account of the interview with a description of the pope’s living quarters.
Dave Warner: TED Prize of $1M to Anti-Corruption and Transparency Activist
Civil Society, Collective Intelligence, Commerce, Cultural Intelligence, Ethics
TED Winner Launches Campaign to Unmask Shell Companies
Anti-corruption activist Charmian Gooch launched a new global campaign on Tuesday night to unmask shell corporations and lobby for legislation requiring more transparency, using a newly awarded $1 million TED Prize.
The Global Witness co-founder won the prestigious award to expand on her organization’s work to unmask shell companies used by dictators, criminals and terrorists for money laundering and to hide assets around the world.
“My wish is for us to know who owns and controls companies, so that they can no longer be used anonymously against the public good,” Gooch said while accepting the award and unveiling her wish. “Together, let’s ignite world opinion, change the law, and together launch a new era of openness in business.”
“This isn’t just a dry policy issue,” Gooch added. “This is a human issue which affects us all. This is about being on the right side of history.”
Shell companies are widely used around the globe by people and entities that want to conceal financial transactions or the true ownership of corporations. Activists have argued that widespread use of shell corporations have made it easier for dictators and criminals to hide money, evade taxes, or illegally transfer assets.
Continue reading “Dave Warner: TED Prize of $1M to Anti-Corruption and Transparency Activist”
Jean Lievens: Jeremy Rifkin on Zero Marginal Cost as Anti-Capitalism
Collective Intelligence, Commercial Intelligence, Cultural Intelligence, Gift Intelligence
Jeremy Rifkin
New York Times, 15 March 2014
We are beginning to witness a paradox at the heart of capitalism, one that has propelled it to greatness but is now threatening its future: The inherent dynamism of competitive markets is bringing costs so far down that many goods and services are becoming nearly free, abundant, and no longer subject to market forces. While economists have always welcomed a reduction in marginal cost, they never anticipated the possibility of a technological revolution that might bring those costs to near zero.
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Yoda: FINALLY — Federal Government Kills One Canary with Marijuana Overdose
Collective Intelligence, Cultural Intelligence, Government, Idiocy, Law Enforcement
Here's An Updated Tally Of All The People Who Have Ever Died From A Marijuana Overdose
With recreational pot now for sale in Colorado and widespread confusion over a recent satirical story that jokingly claimed 37 people had already died of a marijuana overdose, we figured it might be about time to update our weed death count.
So, here's a GIF that still accurately shows all of the people who have died after overdosing on pot:
Phi Beta Iota: The federal result, after decades of trying, was achieved by dropping a bale of marijuana on a canary staked to the ground. The fact that it was a bale (source) dropped on the hapless canary (method) was immediately classified TOP SECRET.
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