US Sergeant Refuses to Serve in "Illegal Iraq War"

Per AFP via Yahoo News, Sergeant Matthis Chiroux has served for nearly six years in Afghanistan and elsewhere and is due to be deployed next month in Iraq. Yesterday, he testified before Congress, "'I stand before you today with the strength and clarity and resolve to declare to the military, my government and the world that this soldier will not be deploying to Iraq. My decision is based on my desire to no longer continue violating my core values to support an illegal and unconstitutional occupation. . . . I refuse to participate in the Iraq occupation.'" More at the link.

Biodiversity Has Plummeted by Nearly One Third Since 1970

Per the U.K.'s The Independent, "[t]he world's species are declining at a rate 'unprecedented since the extinction of the dinosaurs,' a census of the animal kingdom has revealed. The Living Planet Index out today shows the devastating impact of humanity as biodiversity has plummeted by almost a third in the 35 years to 2005. . . .

"Jonathan Loh, editor of the report [produced by WWF, the Zoological Society of London (ZSL) and the Global Footprint Network], said that such a sharp fall was 'completely unprecedented in terms of human history.' 'You'd have to go back to the extinction of the dinosaurs to see a decline as rapid as this,' he added. 'In terms of human lifespan we may be seeing things change relatively slowly, but in terms of the world's history this is very rapid.'

"And 'rapid' is putting it mildly. Scientists say the current extinction rate is now up to 10,000 times faster than what has historically been recorded as normal." More at the link above.

Joshua Klein: Let's Train Crows to Collect Our Cr*p

Great idea and delivery.

(Could the TERRORISTS use this??? {I kid, of course; I'm more worried about Monsanto.})

"Muto," a Wall Animation by Blu

Painted in Buenos Aires and Baden; music by Andrea Martignoni. More at blublu.org or via vimeo.

Mushrooms Could Save the World

. . . and not the way you might think.

Guess which image is of nerve cells and which is of the mycelium, a network of fungus that scientist Paul Stamets says blankets our planet? For the answer, check out his TED talk.

Stamets says the mycelium is sentient, that it serves as a conduit for a multidirectional transfer of nutrients among plants, that it re-routes when damaged like a natural internet, and that the Earth essentially invented the computer internet for its own benefit so that we (at least some of us), as the top organism, could work on allocating resources to protect the planet's biosphere. After hearing some of the details in his talk, you may actually start to believe him.

(The pic of nerves cells was manipulated solely to match the color of Stamets' slide.)

Billy Bragg's Version of the Internationale:

Stand up, all victims of oppression
For the tyrants fear your might
Don't cling so hard to your possessions
For you have nothing, if you have no rights
Let racist ignorance be ended
For respect makes the empires fall
Freedom is merely privilege extended
Unless enjoyed by one and all.

CHORUS: So come brothers and sisters
For the struggle carries on
The Internationale
Unites the world in song
So comrades come rally
For this is the time and place
The international ideal
Unites the human race

Let no one build walls to divide us
Walls of hatred nor walls of stone
Come greet the dawn and stand beside us
We'll live together or we'll die alone
In our world poisoned by exploitation
Those who have taken, now they must give
And end the vanity of nations
We've one but one Earth on which to live

And so begins the final drama
In the streets and in the fields
We stand unbowed before their armour
We defy their guns and shields
When we fight, provoked by their aggression
Let us be inspired by life and love
For though they offer us concessions
Change will not come from above.

(Circa 1990. Supposedly, Bragg complained that the traditional lyrics to the Internationale were somewhat dated. Pete Seeger said: why don't you write new ones? So Bragg did.)

For Those Who Make or Enjoy Photos:

in-PUBLIC is a non-commercial collective featuring work by photographers who specialize in street photos. Some great work here.

Just think, NYC almost outlawed this (see my previous post -- or did they? I'll find out soon).

Art About Death

I agree, it's a major trend ('though "final taboo"'s a bit strong; I'd call it a reincarnation):

"The German artist Gregor Schneider is looking for volunteers who are willing to die in an art gallery for his latest work, according to The Art Newspaper [link reconstructed; unfortunately, the article's subscription only]. And in Nicaragua, a Costa Rican artist has created a storm of hostility by apparently tying up a dog in a gallery and leaving it to starve to death as a work of art."

More here.