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Pain Rays, Indefinite Detention & the War against U.S. Citizens

December 6, 2011 By 1 Comment
Pain Ray
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Last month the Rachel Maddow Show highlighted the increasing military weaponization of our local police forces, including the introduction of scary Orwellian devices like excruciating sound cannons and this mobile pain ray, pictured above. Dr. Maddow explained some salient details about this particular brutal weapon:

“This giant satellite looking thing, it shoots electromagnetic radiation at a target, also known as a human. It is intended to cause a lot of pain; the top layer of skin is supposed to absorb the radioactive rays and get very hot. In tests people could endure the ray for about three seconds; nobody lasted more than five seconds.”

Occupying Tenacity During Frigid Washington Winter

December 5, 2011 By 2 Comments
Occupy Olympia Washington
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Last week we spent part of my birthday at the growing OccupyOlympia activist camp, near the Washington state Capitol. Despite the fact that the weather in these parts this time of year alternates between bitter freezing cold and muddy rainy slush, the number of protesters occupying the area has actually increased in the last month. Apparently being able to survive many wet western Washington winters breeds a certain amount of tenacity and resilience into the locals.

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What If We All Shared the Road?

December 5, 2011 By Leave a Comment
shared space road gloucester
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Imagine a road without lanes, without stop lights, without a bunch of signs. You back out of your driveway, close your garage door behind you, and drive at a slow but steady pace, alert to the fact that bicyclists and pedestrians have the same right of way as you. You don’t speed along, only slowing down because a sign up ahead notifies you that there’s a pedestrian crossing zone because everywhere is a pedestrian zone. You are more alert, more cautious, more conscientious of the road you share. Sounds farfetched, doesn’t it?

Paper or Plastic?

December 4, 2011 By Leave a Comment
plastic bags
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“Paper or plastic?” It’s a question we’ve all been asked at one time or another, usually whilst grocery shopping. While most consumers may be fooled into thinking paper is logically the more ecologically friendly choice, it’s important to take a close look at the impact both choices have on the environment.

Occupying Centralia Washington & Beyond

December 3, 2011 By 2 Comments
Occupy Centralia
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Since the birth of the Occupy Wall Street movement in September, many formally sedentary citizens seem to feel more emboldened to speak out and make their voices of dissent heard. Untold numbers of new activists are now being created, not only in large urban centers, but also in remote corners and rural small towns across the globe.