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The Holder Effect: Close the Revolving Door Between Washington and Wall Street

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<h2>The Holder Effect: Close the Revolving Door Between Washington and Wall Street</h2>
<span>The Holder Effect: Close the Revolving Door Between Washington and Wall Street</span>
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<div>This article originally appeared on <span>Al Jazeera</span></div>
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<a href="http://www.occupy.com/sites/default/files/field/image/f_dc_holder_bye_150424_d24344e6566af60f882a00c72ea51efc.nbcnews-ux-2880-1000.jpg?itok=EV-QqV1E" rel="nofollow"><img src="http://www.occupy.com/sites/default/files/styles/slide_narrow/public/field/image/f_dc_holder_bye_150424_d24344e6566af60f882a00c72ea51efc.nbcnews-ux-2880-1000.jpg?itok=EV-QqV1E" /></a>
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<p>Just months after stepping down from the Justice Department, former U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder is rejoining Covington & Burling, a Washington, D.C.-based white shoe law firm, where he worked from 2001 to 2009 before joining the Barack Obama administration. At least five other lawyers, who worked at the Justice Department <a href="http://www.nationallawjournal.com/id=1202731265593/Holders-Return-to-Covington-Was-Six-Years-in-the-Making?slreturn=20150611133426" rel="nofollow">under Holder</a>, including former enforcement chief Lanny Breuer, have also landed at the firm.</p>
<p>Holder’s return to Covington is emblematic of the revolving door between government and the reins of corporate power that undermines public trust and erodes the integrity of the financial industry. His tenure as the nation’s top prosecutor was marked by withering criticism of failure to prosecute the banks represented by Covington, including Wells Fargo, JPMorgan Chase, Bank of America and Citigroup. Despite the catastrophic affect of the 2008 financial crisis, not a single bank executive has been prosecuted. Holder instead relied on deferred and non-prosecution agreements, and extrajudicial settlements — back room deals that escaped judicial review. Many did not require an admission of guilt. He also allowed banks to classify fines, which represented a fraction of their earnings, as “<a href="http://www.rollingstone.com/politics/news/eric-holder-wall-street-double-agent-comes-in-from-the-cold-20150708?page=4" rel="nofollow">remedial payments</a>,” making them tax deductible as a cost of doing business and passed along to shareholders.</p>
<p>Critics say Holder went easy on the banks to remain in good standing with his former colleagues, in anticipation of his eventual return. In fact, the firm <a href="https://firstlook.org/theintercept/2015/07/06/eric-holder-returns-law-firm-lobbies-big-banks/" rel="nofollow">held a corner office for Holder</a>, making no secret of its intent to recruit him back. Holder maintains that his approach to financial malfeasance was “appropriately aggressive.” His supporters cite the high fines levied on some banks as evidence of his zealousness. True, Holder pioneered the concept of [collateral consequences](collateral consequences), inviting prosecutors to consider the economic effect of prosecutions on workers. But instead of protecting the public, it circumvented justice and transparency, creating the impression that justice was up for sale to those who can afford it, including Covington clients.</p>
<p>Holder will be barred from appearing before the DOJ for two years, and the influence and expertise derived from his tenure there should be firewalled from his new work, though the boundary is porous. During that time, he intends to build his practice working with corporate clients and continue his public interest focus, devoting time to civil rights and pro bono work. Of course, there are other employment venues for those committed to principles of equal justice. They just don’t pay millions a year. Holder made $2.5 million in 2009. His new salary is undisclosed, but Holder is expected to earn big alongside the bankers that he <a href="http://www.democracynow.org/2015/7/8/eric_holder_returns_to_wall_street" rel="nofollow">refused to prosecute</a>.</p>
<p>In a June 15 letter, Americans for Financial Reform, a coalition of groups advocating for a more accountable and equitable financial system, <a href="http://ourfinancialsecurity.org/blogs/wp-content/ourfinancialsecurity.org/uploads/2015/06/Joint-SEC-Nominations-Letter-June-2015.pdf" rel="nofollow">urged Obama</a> to step up oversight of the financial industry through better appointments to the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). “Too often, nominees to serve on the SEC have been ‘revolving door’ insiders with a history of moving back and forth between Wall Street firms seeking to escape accountability and the agency charged with defending the public interest,” the group said.</p>
<p>Their appeal has so far fallen on deaf ears. Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Massachusetts, and her progressive allies in Congress are fighting to stop Obama’s expected nomination of another Covington attorney, <a href="http://www.politico.com/story/2015/07/barack-obama-elizabeth-warren-sec-wall-street-119780.html" rel="nofollow">Keir Gumbs</a>, to the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) to replace outgoing Commissioner, Luis Aguilar. Gumbs, who served as counsel to a SEC Commissioner before joining Covington, is widely expected to join hands with SEC Chair Mary Jo White, whom Warren excoriated in <a href="http://www.warren.senate.gov/files/documents/2015-6-2_Warren_letter_to_SEC.pdf" rel="nofollow">a June 2 letter</a> for her “disappointing” leadership at the agency.</p>
<p>Gumbs’ ties to extractive and fossil fuel industries are particularly troubling. As recently as April, he represented their trade association, the American Petroleum Institute, <a href="https://www.sec.gov/comments/df-title-xv/resource-extraction-issuers/resourceextractionissuers-66.pdf" rel="nofollow">before the SEC</a>. The Commission is currently gearing up to issue a new rule on section 1504 of the Dodd Frank Act, Obama’s landmark financial reform law aimed at increasing transparency in the industry. <a href="https://www.sec.gov/rules/final/2013/34-67717-court-decision-vacating-rule.pdf" rel="nofollow">A federal court</a> vacated the agency’s original rule implementing section 1504 in 2013 after extractive industry giants fought the disclosure requirements. Gumbs also <a href="https://www.cov.com/~/media/files/corporate/publications/2015/03/responding_to_corporate_political_disclosure_initiatives_guide_for_in_house_counsel.ashx" rel="nofollow">co-authored a guide</a> for corporations on how to avoid political spending disclosures earlier this year. His appointment would reinforce <a href="http://pogoarchives.org/ebooks/20130211-dangerous-liaisons-sec-revolving-door.pdf" rel="nofollow">charges of regulatory capture</a> of the agency.</p>
<p>Financial industry executives who leave for a stint in government can be handsomely rewarded for their financial sacrifices. In January, investment banker <a href="http://www.washingtonpost.com/business/economy/treasury-nominee-antonio-weiss-withdraws-from-consideration/2015/01/12/8de3bd44-9a7f-11e4-96cc-e858eba91ced_story.html" rel="nofollow">Antonio Weiss withdrew</a> from consideration for a top Treasury Department post after his nomination came under fire. But the confirmation process <a href="http://america.aljazeera.com/blogs/scrutineer/2015/2/4/banks-give-employees-big-bonuses-for-taking-government-jobs.html" rel="nofollow">revealed lucrative payouts</a> to financial industry insiders who move to government jobs, greasing the wheels of influence: Weiss was <a href="http://www.cnn.com/2014/12/04/politics/antonio-weiss-bankers/" rel="nofollow">slated to reap</a> “$21 million in unvested income and deferred compensation,” though his case is <a href="http://www.citizen.org/documents/financial-services-conflict-of-interest-act-report.pdf" rel="nofollow">hardly an outlier</a>. That an employer would pay millions to a departing employee without a belief that his future position would inure to the firm’s benefit <a href="http://thehill.com/policy/finance/226475-warren-lohttp%3A//thehill.com/policy/finance/226475-warren-lock-revolving-door-between-wall-street-and-washingtonck-revolving-door-between-wall-street-and-washington" rel="nofollow">defies logic</a>.</p>
<p>Obama has failed to clean up Wall Street and deliver structural reform to stop industry leaders from peddling influence that undermines Main Street. The list of those who have waltzed between the halls of political power and the corridors of high finance under his watch is long. It includes former Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke, who in April joined Citadel, a $25 billion hedge fund, and former Treasury Secretary Tim Geithner, who in 2013 took a similar job at the private equity firm Warburg Pincus. Neither committed ethical violations in taking up their new posts, but <a href="http://www.citizen.org/documents/financial-services-conflict-of-interest-act-report.pdf" rel="nofollow">they owe some of their appeal</a> to the financial industry to the insider information and insights gained during their tenure. Holder’s return to Covington has not stoked much outrage in part because the American public has come to expect these cozy relationships.</p>
<p>Those entrusted with policy-making and regulatory authority over the financial industry should have a proven track record of working for the public interest, not personal enrichment. Yet government positions are filled with insiders beholden to the interests of financial giants who are “too big to fail.” Until the revolving door between government and corporate power is blocked, the U.S. government will remain captured by the interests of big money. The bottom 99 percent of Americans will continue to be regarded as “too little to matter.”</p>
<p><a href="http://america.aljazeera.com/opinions/2015/7/close-the-revolving-door-between-washington-and-wall-street.html" rel="nofollow">Originally published by Al Jazeera</a></p>
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<p>Congress, on July 21, 2010, gave the Securities and Exchange Commission 270 days to issue a rule on how exactly to implement Section 1504 of the Dodd-Frank act – and today, 1,821 days later, there still is no rule.</p>
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<p>If the U.K. government continues to maintain its grip on North Sea oil, it will continue to prop up an industry that is in decay – with large profits for fossil fuel companies coming at a steep price to people and the climate.</p>
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<p>A series of tax breaks enacted in Congress shielded the profits of U.S. corporations operating on the island – and when a crucial tax credit ended 10 years ago, it plunged Puerto Rico into a recession that led to today's crisis.</p>
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<div><span><em>6 days 11 hours</em> ago</span></div>
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<p>The U.K. government has increased support for the private sector benefiting corporations – not the people who need it.</p>
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<div><span><em>5 days 15 hours</em> ago</span></div>
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<p>No longer just targeting animal rights activists, the Property Protection Act outlaws exposing abuse at elder care facilities, day cares and charter schools – revealing the power of ALEC-backed legislation at the state level.</p>
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<div><span><em>4 days 12 hours</em> ago</span></div>
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<p>From Madrid and Barcelona to Zaragoza, A Coruña, Cádiz and other major Spanish cities, government is now in the hands of independent citizen fronts called “confluences” – revealing a seismic shakeup in European politics.</p>
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<div><span><em>4 days 13 hours</em> ago</span></div>
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<p>A series of tax breaks enacted in Congress shielded the profits of U.S. corporations operating on the island – and when a crucial tax credit ended 10 years ago, it plunged Puerto Rico into a recession that led to today's crisis.</p>
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<div><span><em>3 days 12 hours</em> ago</span></div>
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<p>A new report found that 3.2 million California families don't earn enough income to pay for food, rent, health care and other essentials “to maintain even an adequate level of economic security.”</p>
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<p>From Madrid and Barcelona to Zaragoza, A Coruña, Cádiz and other major Spanish cities, government is now in the hands of independent citizen fronts called “confluences” – revealing a seismic shakeup in European politics.</p>
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<p>The poor and the working class in the United States know what it is to be Greek – they know underemployment and unemployment, they know life without a pension, they know existence on a few dollars a day.</p>
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armageddon news revolution The Holder Effect: Close the Revolving Door Between Washington and Wall Street

The Holder Effect: Close the Revolving Door Between Washington and Wall Street The Holder Effect: Close the Revolving Door Between Washington and Wall Street This article originally appeared on Al Jazeera Just months after stepping down from the Jus…

Five Years and Counting, Big Money Still Stalls Key Dodd-Frank Anti-Corruption Rule

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<h2>Five Years and Counting, Big Money Still Stalls Key Dodd-Frank Anti-Corruption Rule</h2>
<span>Five Years and Counting, Big Money Still Stalls Key Dodd-Frank Anti-Corruption Rule</span>
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<div>This article originally appeared on <span>The Intercept</span></div>
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<a href="http://www.occupy.com/sites/default/files/field/image/ap100721064705-2-article-header.jpg?itok=6cJLCsNA" rel="nofollow"><img src="http://www.occupy.com/sites/default/files/styles/slide_narrow/public/field/image/ap100721064705-2-article-header.jpg?itok=6cJLCsNA" /></a>
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<p>When Barack Obama signed the Dodd-Frank financial reform bill five years ago, on July 21, 2010, he looked extremely pleased with himself. It had been a tough fight, <a href="https://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/remarks-president-signing-dodd-frank-wall-street-reform-and-consumer-protection-act" rel="nofollow">he said</a>: “We had to overcome the furious lobbying of an array of powerful interest groups and a partisan minority determined to block change.” But now, Obama proclaimed, the bill’s reforms “will become the law of the land.”</p>
<p>Ha Ha PSYCH.</p>
<p>The reality of U.S. politics is that good ideas don’t win and take effect just because they’ve “become the law.” Yes, to get even that far, they have to have somehow threaded their way through a campaign system ruled by money instead of people; passed a House of Representatives overflowing with members from bizarrely gerrymandered districts; and made it past a filibuster in the anti-democratic Senate. But that is often just the start of the truly bloody trench warfare.</p>
<p>One case study is Dodd-Frank’s Section 1504. Congress, on July 21, 2010, gave the Securities and Exchange Commission 270 days to issue a rule on how exactly to implement it. Today, 1,821 days later, there still is no rule.</p>
<p>Section 1504 is intended to address a terrible problem, one so common it has two names: “the paradox of plenty” and “the resource curse.” Countries with lots of oil, gas and mineral wealth are, oddly enough, very frequently poor, corrupt and polluted.</p>
<p>What happens is that big multinational corporations have enormous incentives to bribe government officials so they can get the right to extract and sell the country’s natural resources. That, in turn, leads those government officials to spirit away vast sums of money that rightfully belong to the people to London or Zurich.</p>
<p>Not only do ordinary citizens miss out on the looting, but <a href="https://votesmart.org/public-statement/612406/lugar-floor-speech-on-transparency-amendment#.VagXvipVhHw" rel="nofollow">they tend to suffer</a> from the ancillary corruption, wasteful spending, military adventurism and instability.</p>
<p>Section 1504 requires corporations traded on U.S. stock exchanges to publicly disclose the payments they make to governments for natural resources on all of their projects around the world.</p>
<p>People in, say, Angola would learn exactly how much money their government has received from big oil companies, making it harder for their leaders to hide and pocket as much of it.</p>
<p>Meanwhile, knowing what kind of a deal Angola struck, other governments could use that information to drive harder bargains.</p>
<p>The SEC did finally issue a rule for Section 1504 in August 2012, after a lawsuit by Oxfam America. But then the American Petroleum Institute, <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/04/06/how-the-oil-lobby-greases_n_845720.html" rel="nofollow">the main trade group</a> for the oil industry, challenged the rules, and they were vacated by a U.S. District Court. Now the SEC claims it will issue a “proposed rule” — only the first step in the process — in April 2016.</p>
<p>Meanwhile, during the past five years, the API and Section 1504’s other major natural enemies, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and the National Foreign Trade Council, have collectively spent $896 million lobbying (not just on this one section of Dodd-Frank, of course).</p>
<p><a href="http://www.oxfamamerica.org/static/media/files/Media_brief_1504_anniversary.pdf" rel="nofollow">Oxfam America estimates</a> that if developing countries had reasonable deals with oil multinationals, they should have received about $1.5 trillion for oil pumped during the five years of Section 1504’s non-enforcement.</p>
<p>But did they get reasonable deals? And of that potential $1.5 trillion, how much actually went to the countries’ real needs, and how much was <a href="http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2791862/african-dictator-s-playboy-son-forced-surrender-30million-assets-impoverished-people-country-michael-jackson-s-crystal-glove.html" rel="nofollow">spent by the president’s son</a> on Michael Jackson’s glove? Thanks to the endless veto points in our system, where good ideas have to win every time and money only has to win once, we just don’t know.</p>
<p><a href="https://firstlook.org/theintercept/2015/07/16/dodd-frank-anti-corruption-rule-stalled/" rel="nofollow">Originally published by The Intercept</a></p>
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<p>Congress, on July 21, 2010, gave the Securities and Exchange Commission 270 days to issue a rule on how exactly to implement Section 1504 of the Dodd-Frank act – and today, 1,821 days later, there still is no rule.</p>
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<p>If the U.K. government continues to maintain its grip on North Sea oil, it will continue to prop up an industry that is in decay – with large profits for fossil fuel companies coming at a steep price to people and the climate.</p>
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<p>A series of tax breaks enacted in Congress shielded the profits of U.S. corporations operating on the island – and when a crucial tax credit ended 10 years ago, it plunged Puerto Rico into a recession that led to today's crisis.</p>
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<div><span><em>6 days 11 hours</em> ago</span></div>
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<p>The U.K. government has increased support for the private sector benefiting corporations – not the people who need it.</p>
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<div><span><em>5 days 15 hours</em> ago</span></div>
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<p>No longer just targeting animal rights activists, the Property Protection Act outlaws exposing abuse at elder care facilities, day cares and charter schools – revealing the power of ALEC-backed legislation at the state level.</p>
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<div><span><em>4 days 13 hours</em> ago</span></div>
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<p>From Madrid and Barcelona to Zaragoza, A Coruña, Cádiz and other major Spanish cities, government is now in the hands of independent citizen fronts called “confluences” – revealing a seismic shakeup in European politics.</p>
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<div><span><em>4 days 13 hours</em> ago</span></div>
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<p>A series of tax breaks enacted in Congress shielded the profits of U.S. corporations operating on the island – and when a crucial tax credit ended 10 years ago, it plunged Puerto Rico into a recession that led to today's crisis.</p>
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<div><span><em>3 days 12 hours</em> ago</span></div>
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<p>A new report found that 3.2 million California families don't earn enough income to pay for food, rent, health care and other essentials “to maintain even an adequate level of economic security.”</p>
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<p>A series of tax breaks enacted in Congress shielded the profits of U.S. corporations operating on the island – and when a crucial tax credit ended 10 years ago, it plunged Puerto Rico into a recession that led to today's crisis.</p>
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<p>“For me, as a young black woman, to run against an older white male incumbent, powerful, with the ability to raise close to a million dollars, the skeptics wanted to know: how could I have the audacity?”</p>
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<div><img src="http://www.occupy.com/article/five-years-and-counting-big-money-still-stalls-key-dodd-frank-anti-corruption-rule" /></div>
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armageddon news revolution Five Years and Counting, Big Money Still Stalls Key Dodd-Frank Anti-Corruption Rule

Five Years and Counting, Big Money Still Stalls Key Dodd-Frank Anti-Corruption Rule Five Years and Counting, Big Money Still Stalls Key Dodd-Frank Anti-Corruption Rule This article originally appeared on The Intercept When Barack Obama signed the Do…

Largest Leak In 35 Years – 1.3 Million Gallon Tar Sands Spill Pollutes Canada

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<h2>Largest Leak In 35 Years – 1.3 Million Gallon Tar Sands Spill Pollutes Canada</h2>
<span>Largest Leak In 35 Years – 1.3 Million Gallon Tar Sands Spill Pollutes Canada</span>
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<div>This article originally appeared on <span><a href="http://thinkprogress.org/?mobile=nc" rel="nofollow">Think Progress</a></span></div>
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<a href="http://www.occupy.com/sites/default/files/field/image/california_oil_spill.jpg?itok=YnNILWNX" rel="nofollow"><img src="http://www.occupy.com/sites/default/files/styles/slide_narrow/public/field/image/california_oil_spill.jpg?itok=YnNILWNX" /></a>
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<p>A pipeline spill in Alberta, Canada has leaked some 1,320,000 gallons, or 31,000 barrels, of emulsion — a mixture of bitumen, produced water, and sand — south of Fort McMurray, a hub for Canada’s tar sands mining and refining industry.</p>
<p>The leak, which was discovered Wednesday afternoon, is the largest pipeline spill in the province in 35 years, when a 54,000 barrel oil spill became Canada’s worst-ever pipeline incident.</p>
<p>Pipeline operator Nexen Energy, a subsidiary of China's CNOOC Ltd, and the Alberta Energy Regulator had not as of Friday identified the cause of the leak, which has been contained. At this point <a href="http://www.newstalk770.com/2015/07/16/nexen-pipeline-failure-near-fort-mcmurray/?sc_ref=twitter" rel="nofollow">there are no reports</a> of injuries to wildlife or contamination of nearby bodies of water. The spill covered some 170,000 square feet, of four acres, <a href="http://www.nexencnoocltd.com/en/AboutUs/MediaCentre/NewsReleases/News/Release.aspx?year=2015&release_id=B20D782F81434D58889FAE403811D758" rel="nofollow">mostly along</a> the path of the pipeline.</p>
<p>Bitumen is a combination of viscous tar sands crude oil and liquid chemicals like benzene that dilute the crude so it can be piped to refineries. Produced water is water used during the process of oil or gas extraction that can contain hydraulic fracturing chemical additives and naturally occurring substances and is not suitable for irrigation or drinking. <a href="http://atrium.occupy.com/read/node/stored" rel="nofollow">It must be stored</a> in tanks or pits before being treated and disposed.</p>
<p>In a statement about the spill, Greenpeace communications officer Peter Louwe said the leak is “a good reminder that Alberta has a long way to go to address its pipeline problems, and that communities have good reasons to fear having more built.”</p>
<p>“New pipelines would also facilitate the expansion of the tar sands — Canada’s fastest-growing source of carbon emissions — and accelerate the climate crisis even more,” he said.</p>
<p>Greenpeace and other environmental organizations have fought hard to prevent the Keystone XL pipeline from being built, which would transport up to 830,000 barrels of Canadian tar sands oil per day down to Gulf Coast refineries. While <a href="http://thinkprogress.org/climate/2015/02/24/3626301/keystone-xl-vetoed/" rel="nofollow">Obama vetoed legislation</a> approving the construction of the pipeline in February, it is still under review by the State Department — as it has been for more than six years.</p>
<p>Meanwhile, Alberta is not the only place where oil spills are demanding attention. Halfway around the world in Australia, a potential oil spill was found on Friday along the Great Barrier Reef. The Reef, an especially delicate ecosystem and World Heritage Site, has come under multiple stressors in recent years, including development, fossil fuel export, and climate change.</p>
<p>Authorities are still investigating the cause and extent of the spill.</p>
<p>In the United States, upgrading a dated pipeline system has become one of the few bipartisan environmental issues in the 114th Congress. At a recent House Energy and Commerce subcommittee hearing, Democrats and Republicans took the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA) to task for failing to implement several provisions of a pipeline safety law. A recent 105,000-gallon oil spill along the southern coast of California near Santa Barbara — a stronghold of the environmental movement — has galvanized elected officials into addressing the issue.</p>
<p>Politicians differ on what the solution should be. While environmentalists and politicians concerned with the impacts of climate change would like to see a reduction in oil and gas production alongside any upgrades, many Republicans want to build more new pipelines — including the Keystone XL.</p>
<p><a href="http://thinkprogress.org/climate/2015/07/17/3681738/canadian-pipeline-spill-near-tar-sands/" rel="nofollow">Originally published by Think Progress</a></p>
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<p>Congress, on July 21, 2010, gave the Securities and Exchange Commission 270 days to issue a rule on how exactly to implement Section 1504 of the Dodd-Frank act – and today, 1,821 days later, there still is no rule.</p>
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<p>If the U.K. government continues to maintain its grip on North Sea oil, it will continue to prop up an industry that is in decay – with large profits for fossil fuel companies coming at a steep price to people and the climate.</p>
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<p>A series of tax breaks enacted in Congress shielded the profits of U.S. corporations operating on the island – and when a crucial tax credit ended 10 years ago, it plunged Puerto Rico into a recession that led to today's crisis.</p>
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<div><span><em>6 days 11 hours</em> ago</span></div>
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<p>The U.K. government has increased support for the private sector benefiting corporations – not the people who need it.</p>
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<div><span><em>5 days 15 hours</em> ago</span></div>
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<p>No longer just targeting animal rights activists, the Property Protection Act outlaws exposing abuse at elder care facilities, day cares and charter schools – revealing the power of ALEC-backed legislation at the state level.</p>
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<div><span><em>4 days 12 hours</em> ago</span></div>
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<p>From Madrid and Barcelona to Zaragoza, A Coruña, Cádiz and other major Spanish cities, government is now in the hands of independent citizen fronts called “confluences” – revealing a seismic shakeup in European politics.</p>
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<p>A series of tax breaks enacted in Congress shielded the profits of U.S. corporations operating on the island – and when a crucial tax credit ended 10 years ago, it plunged Puerto Rico into a recession that led to today's crisis.</p>
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<p>A series of tax breaks enacted in Congress shielded the profits of U.S. corporations operating on the island – and when a crucial tax credit ended 10 years ago, it plunged Puerto Rico into a recession that led to today's crisis.</p>
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<p>Almost a quarter of Coatesville’s population live below the poverty line – yet residents spend more than $100 each month for water, feeding the coffers of the private Pennsylvania-American Water Co.</p>
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<p>Since Occupy Wall Street, populist politicians and liberal intellectuals have been inveighing against income inequality – but more recently, the topic has been taken up by a different and unlikely group of advocates: billionaires.</p>
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armageddon news revolution Largest Leak In 35 Years – 1.3 Million Gallon Tar Sands Spill Pollutes Canada

Largest Leak In 35 Years – 1.3 Million Gallon Tar Sands Spill Pollutes Canada Largest Leak In 35 Years – 1.3 Million Gallon Tar Sands Spill Pollutes Canada This article originally appeared on Think Progress A pipeline spill in Alberta, Canada has le…

Energy Solutions In Scotland: What's Next for Europe’s Oil Capital?

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<h2>Energy Solutions In Scotland: What's Next for Europe’s Oil Capital?</h2>
<span>Energy Solutions In Scotland: What's Next for Europe’s Oil Capital?</span> <a href="http://www.occupy.com/sites/default/files/field/image/ba870e20-413d-4809-aabd-581616dcd3ab-2060x1236.jpg?itok=gpGu26K4" rel="nofollow"><img src="http://www.occupy.com/sites/default/files/styles/slide_narrow/public/field/image/ba870e20-413d-4809-aabd-581616dcd3ab-2060x1236.jpg?itok=gpGu26K4" /></a>
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<p>Europe’s oil capital, Scotland, is shifting from boom to bust. The low price of a barrel of oil is quickly <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/business/2015/jan/15/oil-chiefs-call-for-north-sea-tax-cuts" rel="nofollow">reducing fossil fuel exploration</a> in the North Sea, which is operated from the city of Aberdeen. Decline in the petroleum industry is good news of course for the climate; to ensure a livable future we <a href="http://www.neweconomics.org/publications/entry/unburnable-carbon" rel="nofollow">need to leave 80%</a> of oil in the ground or below the sea.</p>
<p>But the demise of North Sea oil will also <a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-30545300" rel="nofollow">decimate a massive employer</a> in the northeast of Scotland, where around 375,000 people work in connection to the industry. Occupy.com spoke recently with several oil experts to consider how Aberdeen, once the nation's glowing economic hub, could flourish beyond fossil fuels – and what its slowdown means for the Scottish economy overall.</p>
<p>“There is no investment into new projects and no growth," said David Kelly, who works creating software for major project development there, and has 40 years of experience in the oil industry. "Instead, all the work is in core maintenance on aging platforms and without new investment. More and more rigs will be decommissioned.”</p>
<p>Responding to the constant stream of job cuts being announced across the industry, he said: “It has probably not gone as bad as it will in the next couple of months. I think we have still got some major reductions to come. We have not seen the collapse in house prices yet, but I think the crunch is coming soon.”</p>
<p>Oil wealth has had a dramatic impact on Aberdeen in recent decades. The city has some of the highest property prices anywhere in the U.K. – but the economic growth has been unevenly spread. Like the rest of the U.K., the city has seen an <a href="http://www.thenational.scot/news/aberdeen-food-banks-appeal-for-donations-as-shelves-are-close-to-empty.1535" rel="nofollow">explosion in poverty and people relying on food banks</a>.</p>
<p>Like many, Kelly is aware that Aberdeen has already seen its best days. Now, he says the skills, expertise and infrastructure in the city should be harnessed toward growing the renewable energy industry, particularly tidal and offshore wind generation. If the transfer doesn't happen, those people with energy expertise will leave Scotland to find jobs overseas. “The oil industry talks a good game about transferring the skills into renewables, but they’d rather just have a cheaper place to drill,” he said.</p>
<p><strong>An Historic Lesson</strong></p>
<p>Parallels can be found between the demise of North Sea oil and Britain’s coal mines in the 1980s. As another heavy polluting industry, the fall of British coal meant an improvement for the environment, but it devastated those communities tied to the business. Swathes of mining areas remain depressed to this day.</p>
<p>The major shutdown of coal operations, led by Margaret Thatcher, was done without creating alternative jobs. In the case of Aberdeen and North Sea oil, Kelly said the opposite needs to happen: the oil industry should be nationalized and new climate-friendly jobs created. Kelly, however, doesn't expect Westminster to make it happen.</p>
<p>“Transforming the oil industry to renewables needs expenditure, commitment and control over the industry that the Scottish government simply does not have, and which the Westminster government does not understand.”</p>
<p>What happens next to North Sea oil and its aging infrastructure is a multi-billion pound question, as estimates suggest the decommissioning of old oil rigs will <a href="http://www.channel4.com/news/shell-brent-delta-oil-platform-north-sea-decomission" rel="nofollow">cost between £35-40 billion</a> over the next three to four decades. “We should realize that North Sea oil is a national asset. If there was strategic management, there could be long-term conservation of the infrastructure with the oil converted towards making durable material products rather than transport fuel, which is of course only adding to global warming,” said Brian Parkin, an energy and environment research fellow at the University of Leeds.</p>
<p><strong>Solutions Stemming from a Dying Industry</strong></p>
<p>Parkin asserts that burning fossil fuels makes no sense. But, adding another dimension to the environmental debate around oil and gas, he suggests a diverse range of compounds made from petrochemicals could provide an economic and climate solution – by turning those products into recyclable goods. This could include everything from surgical equipment to engineering and load-bearing materials.</p>
<p>One substance that exemplifies the environmental benefits of continuing to use oil is carbon graphite, which is stronger than metal equivalents. Using already accessible oil reserves, he said, would translate into a lower impact than metal mining. A further example is using oil for new semi-conductive components in computers – again reducing the need for mining fresh minerals.</p>
<p>“Making diverse products from oil and gas would enable a new range of new material innovations, with new applications," added Parkin. But this "will require developing more skills, areas of expertise and scientific knowledge.”</p>
<p>Like Kelly, Parkin believes these and other advances are only possible if government takes control of the oil industry. He suggested that democratic scrutiny would allow assets to be created for the benefit of people and the planet, not merely immediate corporate profit. There is also an economic justification for the nation taking control of its oil: the North Sea is a harsh environment, where oil drilling is expensive and risky and where extraction has only occurred with massive state support. North Sea tax breaks and subsidies from 2009 to 2014 <a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-29985382" rel="nofollow">cost Britain over £700 million annually</a>, and U.K. Chancellor George Osborne this year <a href="http://www.heraldscotland.com/mobile/politics/wider-political-news/live-the-budget.1426667658" rel="nofollow">announced an extra £1.3 billion</a> in industry support.</p>
<p>The future for Aberdeen remains uncertain. If Westminster continues to maintain its firm grip on North Sea oil, it will continue to prop up an industry that is in decay, with large profits for oil companies coming at a steep price to people and the climate. But there are sound alternatives. Aberdeen could again become a boom city – this time as a central hub bringing in the renewables revolution.</p>
<p><a href="http://www.occupy.com/sites/default/files/medialibrary/exploration-drive-aberdeen-scotland-g-sharma.jpg" rel="nofollow"><img alt="Aberdeen oil industry, North Sea oil, corporate tax breaks, oil subsidies, Scottish renewables industry" src="http://www.occupy.com/sites/default/files/medialibrary/exploration-drive-aberdeen-scotland-g-sharma.jpg" title="Aberdeen oil industry, North Sea oil, corporate tax breaks, oil subsidies, Scottish renewables industry" /></a></p>
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<p>Congress, on July 21, 2010, gave the Securities and Exchange Commission 270 days to issue a rule on how exactly to implement Section 1504 of the Dodd-Frank act – and today, 1,821 days later, there still is no rule.</p>
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<p>If the U.K. government continues to maintain its grip on North Sea oil, it will continue to prop up an industry that is in decay – with large profits for fossil fuel companies coming at a steep price to people and the climate.</p>
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<p>A series of tax breaks enacted in Congress shielded the profits of U.S. corporations operating on the island – and when a crucial tax credit ended 10 years ago, it plunged Puerto Rico into a recession that led to today's crisis.</p>
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<div><span><em>6 days 11 hours</em> ago</span></div>
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<p>The U.K. government has increased support for the private sector benefiting corporations – not the people who need it.</p>
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<div><span><em>5 days 15 hours</em> ago</span></div>
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<p>No longer just targeting animal rights activists, the Property Protection Act outlaws exposing abuse at elder care facilities, day cares and charter schools – revealing the power of ALEC-backed legislation at the state level.</p>
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<p>From Madrid and Barcelona to Zaragoza, A Coruña, Cádiz and other major Spanish cities, government is now in the hands of independent citizen fronts called “confluences” – revealing a seismic shakeup in European politics.</p>
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<div><span><em>4 days 13 hours</em> ago</span></div>
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<p>A series of tax breaks enacted in Congress shielded the profits of U.S. corporations operating on the island – and when a crucial tax credit ended 10 years ago, it plunged Puerto Rico into a recession that led to today's crisis.</p>
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<div><span><em>3 days 12 hours</em> ago</span></div>
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<p>Almost a quarter of Coatesville’s population live below the poverty line – yet residents spend more than $100 each month for water, feeding the coffers of the private Pennsylvania-American Water Co.</p>
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<p>Since Occupy Wall Street, populist politicians and liberal intellectuals have been inveighing against income inequality – but more recently, the topic has been taken up by a different and unlikely group of advocates: billionaires.</p>
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<p>“For me, as a young black woman, to run against an older white male incumbent, powerful, with the ability to raise close to a million dollars, the skeptics wanted to know: how could I have the audacity?”</p>
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armageddon news revolution Energy Solutions In Scotland: What's Next for Europe’s Oil Capital?

Energy Solutions In Scotland: What's Next for Europe’s Oil Capital? Energy Solutions In Scotland: What's Next for Europe’s Oil Capital? Europe’s oil capital, Scotland, is shifting from boom to bust. The low price of a barrel of oil is quickly reduc…

Teenager Helps Homeless Man Find A Job By Tweeting His Resume

<p><a href="http://cdn10.trueactivist.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/07/ht_resume_1_lb_150717_16x9_992.jpg"><img alt="ht_resume_1_lb_150717_16x9_992" class="alignleft size-medium wp-image-36223" height="400" src="http://cdn11.trueactivist.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/07/ht_resume_1_lb_150717_16x9_992-227x400.jpg" width="227" /></a>18-year-old Aaron O’Dwyer of Liverpool, England is working to help a homeless man find a job, by tweeting his resume out to the world. O’Dwyer walked by the man while leaving a job interview, and had sympathy for his situation and wanted to do something to help</p>
<p>O’Dwyer told ABC News that, <em>“I couldn’t just walk past him, it was the right thing to do. I think it was because he was a similar age as myself. You could tell he wasn’t on drugs or anything. He was a normal lad. It took me 16 seconds to take the resume and post it on Twitter. That’s all it took to get him off the streets. It’s quite rewarding for myself. I feel good about it.”</em></p>
<p><em>“I walked up to him and asked if he wanted some money and I gave him some change, I noticed in his hand he had about 15 to 20 handwritten resumes and he insisted I took one. It was quite a sad read and, obviously, a cry for help,”</em> he added.</p>
<p><a href="https://gma.yahoo.com/teen-tweets-homeless-mans-hand-written-resume-help-191838530--abc-news-lifestyle.html" target="_blank">One part of the resume said that:</a></p>
<blockquote readability="10">
<p><em>Need work</em> <em>Need help</em> <em>Seriously lost</em></p>
<p><em>I’m so sick of wasting away now</em> <em>I’m always being told to go to homeless centres [sic] but there [sic] ] not helping</em></p>
<p><em>I write my C.Vs like this because I don’t have anything to put on it</em></p>
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<p><em>“It also said that he left school at 13 or 14, left school for his motorbike mechanic training. He was left with no skills and no grades, so he couldn’t go on to a university. That’s the reason why he said he’s on the streets,”</em> O’Dwyer said.</p>
<p>After O’Dwyer posted his photo on Twitter, he soon received a large number of responses, including job offers for the man.</p>
<p>According to the homeless man’s brother, he is now starting a new job, and has actually found a place to live.</p>
<p><em>“Last update I have had is that Jordan has got a trial shift at a bar tonight, but I have had loads of generous people contact me with job offers for him. I can’t thank Aaron enough for what he has done for Jordan. Many people would have just ignored it and walked straight past him. It’s amazing all the support that has come from this, but Jordan is just one out of God knows how many people who are in a similar situation. More really needs to be done to help them,”</em> his brother said.</p>
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<p><a href="https://www.facebook.com/jgvibes" target="_blank">John Vibes</a> writes for True Activist and is an author, researcher and investigative journalist who takes a special interest in the counter culture and the drug war.</p>
<p><em>This article ( <a href="http://www.trueactivist.com/teenager-helps-homeless-man-find-a-job-by-tweeting-his-resume/" target="_blank">Teenager Helps Homeless Man Find A Job By Tweeting His Resume</a> ) is free and open source. You have permission to republish this article under a</em> <a href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/"><em>Creative Commons</em></a> <em>license with attribution to the author and</em> <a href="http://www.trueactivist.com/"><em>TrueActivist.com</em></a><em>.</em></p>
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activism knowledge news Teenager Helps Homeless Man Find A Job By Tweeting His Resume

18-year-old Aaron O’Dwyer of Liverpool, England is working to help a homeless man find a job, by tweeting his resume out to the world. O’Dwyer walked by the man while leaving a job interview, and had sympathy for his situation and wanted to do someth…

IKEA Opens “Dog Parking Lot” To Keep Dogs Out Of Hot Cars

<p><a href="http://cdn11.trueactivist.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/07/2AAD0F2E00000578-0-Doggy_parking_bays_-m-7_1437332544945.jpg"><img alt="2AAD0F2E00000578-0-Doggy_parking_bays_-m-7_1437332544945" class="alignleft size-medium wp-image-36219" height="400" src="http://cdn9.trueactivist.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/07/2AAD0F2E00000578-0-Doggy_parking_bays_-m-7_1437332544945-284x400.jpg" width="284" /></a>Recently we have posted a number of stories about the dangers of leaving animals in hot cars, and now we are happy to report that someone has come up with a solution.</p>
<p>At an IKEA location in Cologne, Germany they are testing a new idea, the “dog parking lot,” which is a safe area where dogs can hang out while their owners are shopping in the store.</p>
<p>Each dog has its own space, with fake grass, water and a secure place to tie a leash</p>
<p>While there have not been any pet facilities to open in other areas, the company is planning to hopefully implement this idea worldwide.</p>
<p>Last week we reported that a <a href="http://www.trueactivist.com/new-law-protects-people-who-break-into-hot-cars-to-save-pets/" target="_blank">new state law in Tennesse</a> protects citizens from being sued if they are freeing a pet from a hot car.</p>
<p>Professional football player Tyrann Mathieu recently <a href="http://www.trueactivist.com/football-player-locks-himself-in-hot-car-to-demonstrate-how-dangerous-it-is-for-dogs/" target="_blank">locked himself in a hot car</a> to simulate what the experience is like for a dog. The demonstration was a part of a public service announcement to raise awareness about how dangerous a hot car can be for any living creature.</p>
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<p><a href="https://www.facebook.com/jgvibes" target="_blank">John Vibes</a> writes for True Activist and is an author, researcher and investigative journalist who takes a special interest in the counter culture and the drug war.</p>
<p><em>This article ( <a href="http://www.trueactivist.com/ikea-opens-dog-parking-lot-to-keep-dogs-out-of-hot-cars/" target="_blank">IKEA Opens “Dog Parking Lot” To Keep Dogs Out Of Hot Cars</a> ) is free and open source. You have permission to republish this article under a</em> <a href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/"><em>Creative Commons</em></a> <em>license with attribution to the author and</em> <a href="http://www.trueactivist.com/"><em>TrueActivist.com</em></a><em>.</em></p>
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activism knowledge news IKEA Opens “Dog Parking Lot” To Keep Dogs Out Of Hot Cars

Recently we have posted a number of stories about the dangers of leaving animals in hot cars, and now we are happy to report that someone has come up with a solution. At an IKEA location in Cologne, Germany they are testing a new idea, the “dog parki…