Caryn Hunt

Protesters Oppose Detroit Council’s Approval of Controversial Jones Day Contract

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Two Detroit residents protesting City Council’s vote to approve a $3.3 million contract between the city and the law firm Jones Day were arrested Tuesday. They were part of a group opposed to the contract, which is between the Detroit, currently under the emergency financial management of Kevin Orr, appointed by Michigan Governor Rick Snyder to steer Detroit clear of bankruptcy, and his former law firm Jones Day, where, previous to being named Emergency Financial Manager, he was a partner.

Jones Day also represents Bank of America Merrill Lynch, which owns many of Detroit’s municipal bonds. Protesters decried the blatant conflicts of interest. Emergency Manager Orr has absolute power over contracts; the declaration of the state of emergency by Governor Snyder effectively leaves Detroit without democratically elected representation in the city.

It’s been a long slow slide financially for Detroit, between racist urban renewal policies of the past, the collapse of the car industry, and incompetent city governance, and although Detroit has more recently been the hub for a sustainable community renaissance.

European Union Votes Against Propping Up Anemic Carbon Emissions Market

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European Union MEPs Tuesday voted against propping up their anemic carbon trading market, the emissions-trading system (ETS). The ETS is a ten year old flagship market scheme for trading carbon emissions with the goal of increasing the price of carbon and thereby creating incentives to reduce carbon emissions-intensive industry. In a 334 to 315 vote,…

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What’s So Great About Bitcoin?

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There’s lot’s to like about Bitcoin, the Internet currency that’s been in the spotlight of late. It’s a completely digital, secure, anonymous and decentralized way to transfer currency for goods and services. Sure, you can’t buy groceries at the store with bitcoin – yet. But the number of transactions goes up daily, from 1000 to 50,000 per day over the past two years.

Bitcoin is currently experiencing a bubble. A single bitcoin that may have been worth a dollar or two a few years ago cashes in today for around $140. Lots of people getting interested real fast! You can buy and sell bitcoins, but you can also “mine” them, by having your computer solve mathematical puzzles buried in “blocks” of code. You solve the problem, you earn 25 bitcoin. A new block of code is generated every ten minutes. There’s an ultimate limit to bitcoin of 21 million by the year 2140. It’s a fascinating system.

Because bitcoin doesn’t use central banks, banks are starting to take notice too. Imagine a world without banks that are “too big to fail.”

Here’s an intro to bitcoin:

Solar Impulse To Fly Across US Fueled By Sun

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The challenge is to circle the world in an airplane that doesn’t use fossil fuels and emits no greenhouse gas, but the Solar Impulse is taking it one feat at a time. This summer, the Solar Impulse solar airplane will cross America, flying from San Francisco to New York City, spreading its environmental message as…

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Theo Colborn: Chemicals in Environment Cause Endocrine Disruption

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Dr. Theo Colborn, founder of The Endocrine Disruption Exchange (TEDX) explains in chilling detail the extent to which US industry dumps under-regulated industrial chemicals into the environment, and the health problems endocrine disruptors cause humans, including ADHD, diabetes, autism, thyroid disorders, infertility, and abnormal gonadal development. Not stuff you want. The problem is, the Toxic…

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US Navy Sonar Causes Lethal Injury to Whales and Dolphins

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The US Navy estimates it will inflict lethal harm to 33 million marine mammals over a five year period due to sonar use in military exercises, and seeks permission to do so from the National Marine Fisheries Services (NMFS). The NMFS has indicated they will approve the request, but by law must allow for public…

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Sequester State by State

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There’s a lot of info around the ‘net about the nuts and bolts effects of the looming “Sequester,” a deal struck by Congress during the “fiscal cliff” negotiations about the US debt limit back in 2011. In it, Congress agreed to $85 billion worth of across-the-board spending cuts that will kick in automatically without Congressional…

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PA DEP Secretary Krancer Hedges On Climate Change

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Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection Secretary Michael Krancer presented his budget to the State House Appropriations committee this past week, and was pointedly asked about the impact to the state from climate change. He couldn’t answer the question, and indeed was reluctant to state any opinion about climate change. According to StateImpactPA, when asked by…

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40K Rally to Stop Keystone XL Pipeline

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More than 40,000 people braved thirty degree weather Sunday to urge President Obama to halt progress on the Keystone XL Pipeline progress, and to get serious about confronting climate change. The rally was organized by 350.org, the Sierra Club, and more than 150 other environmental and social justice groups, including the First Nations of Canada.…

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Forward on Climate Rally Sunday Feb 17 in DC

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48 environmental and civil rights leaders were arrested Thursday in front of the White House after planned civil disobedience to protest the Keystone XL tar sand pipeline project being considered by the State Department, and to demand that President Obama get serious about addressing climate change. The sit-in was planned to kick off a weekend…

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