CounterCurrents: How Government Officials Deceive Themselves, To Deceive The Public, Some Reflections On The Twilight Of The Oil Age – part I,

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In Solidarity
Binu Mathew
Editor
www.countercurrents.org

Some Reflections On The Twilight Of The Oil Age – part I
by Louis Arnoux 

http://www.countercurrents.org/2016/07/14/some-reflections-on-the-twilight-of-the-oil-age-part-i/

To cope, the Oil Industry has been cannibalising itself since 2012.  This trend is accelerating but cannot continue for very long. Even mainstream analysts have begun to recognise that the OI is no longer replenishing its reserves.  We have entered fire-sale times (as shown by the recent announcements by Saudi Arabia (whose main field, Ghawar, is probably over 90% depleted) to sell part of Aramco and make a rapid shift out of a near 100% dependence on oil and towards “solar”.

AFSPA: The Fifty Eight Year War
by Sangeeta Mall 

http://www.countercurrents.org/2016/07/14/afspa-the-fifty-eight-year-war/

The Supreme Court has finally spoken up for the right of the people to due process, and ordered investigation into 1528 alleged fake encounters in Manipur in the last twenty years. While the inquiry is a step in the right direction, should it also not propel the Indian government towards some honest introspection on the need for such bad laws? Should it not force it to question its dependence on violence over dialogue in managing the aspirations of its citizens?

Bernie Sanders: The End Of A Campaign
by Dr Binoy Kampmark 

http://www.countercurrents.org/2016/07/14/bernie-sanders-the-end-of-a-campaign/

The Sanders chapter in US political history gives us an enduring reminder about candidates and their campaigns.  Be wary of any language of change that is merely the language of promise.  Keep in mind that US politics remains a “binary” choice, an effective non-choice bankrolled by financial power.  The best way Sanders could have thanked his individual supporters and voters would have been representing them to the end. He preferred to haul them over the coals of political surrender

For Those Who Know Little or Nothing About Labor: Building Global Labor Solidarity Today
by Kim Scipes 

http://www.countercurrents.org/2016/07/14/for-those-who-know-little-or-nothing-about-labor-building-global-labor-solidarity-today/

Earlier this year, a collection of papers was published under the title of Building Global Labor Solidarity in a Time of Accelerating Globalization (Scipes, ed., 2016).  It was a strong effort by seven labor activists and scholars from different parts of the world to think out how workers today can support each other globally; initially so as to defend against attacks on workers’ and their unions’ power, but ultimately, to develop ideas on how we could more consciously develop our thinking and our organizations to move toward a more economically- and socially-just world.

The Global Farm Land Grab In 2016: How Big, How Bad?
by GRAIN Staff

http://www.countercurrents.org/2016/07/14/the-global-farm-land-grab-in-2016-how-big-how-bad/

Resistance against land grabs is at the forefront of many of today’s struggles for social, political and economic transformation, putting corporations and governments colluding complicit with land grabbing on the defensive. This makes it all the more critical to avoid traps like that of “responsible investment”. We have to keep the focus on reversing the expansion of agribusiness—stopping the problem at its root. As this new research shows, the global farmland grab is massive and it is extending its reach to new frontiers. We must redouble our resistance efforts to ensure that more lands can stay under the control of food producing communities.

Edhi : Greatest Of The Great, Warmest Of The Warm!
by Nilantha Ilangamuwa 

http://www.countercurrents.org/2016/07/14/edhi-greatest-of-the-great-warmest-of-the-warm/

Abdul Sattar Edhi, an icon of humanity has left us after leading  us to  experience spectacular events and rare history of humanity.  Edhi, a philanthropic giant is bigger than his life, a rare personality who struggled for a noble cause of humanity.

Sanskritising Kashmir!
by Mohammad Ashraf 

http://www.countercurrents.org/2016/07/14/sanskritising-kashmir/

As far as the panic among the locals regarding Hinduisation of Kashmir is concerned, they need not be unduly alarmed. The history always moves forward. There is no evidence of a backward march of history anywhere in the world!

‘Black Lives Matter’ Leaders Betraying Martin Luther King
by Jay Janson 

http://www.countercurrents.org/2016/07/14/black-lives-matter-leaders-betraying-martin-luther-king/

When this writer first heard of the slogan ‘Black Lives Matter’ he winced. Sounded ignominious, humiliating, undignified, embarrassing, pleading, definitely not noble, not appropriate to repeated murdering of innocent folks and children and other inhuman behavior. Who the hell thought up such a slogan? Martin Luther King or Malcolm would never have made up such a wimpish slogan.

Keeping Alive The Ghost Of Osama Bin Laden
by Abdus Sattar Ghazali 

http://www.countercurrents.org/2016/07/14/keeping-alive-the-ghost-of-osama-bin-laden/

A dubious website, the SITE Intelligence Group, has quoted Hamza bin Laden, a son of Osama Bin Laden, as threatening revenge against the U.S. for assassinating his father.

How Government Officials Deceive Themselves, To Deceive The Public
by Eric Zuesse 

http://www.countercurrents.org/2016/07/14/how-government-officials-deceive-themselves-to-deceive-the-public/

An interesting fact about the interviewees that were cited here, Tkacik and Liley, is that they’re both retired. Why, then, do they still keep up the lying front (especially since they’re now feeding myths that could produce a nuclear war)? They’re no longer on the U.S. government payroll. But they do receive income as ‘experts’, based upon their past official positions. How much credibility would they now have if they said: “Oh, it was just lying — that’s what I did for a living”? They’re never really free. They’re always like horses that are harnessed to a carriage of frauds. They’ve simply got to keep pulling this carriage, until they die.

Slings And Arrows: Bernie Sanders Plays The Bard
by Gary Corseri 

http://www.countercurrents.org/2016/07/14/slings-and-arrows-bernie-sanders-plays-the-bard/

Have I been out-Trumped?
(He doth bestride the narrow world like a Collosus!)
Out-Foxed by one “extremely careless”?
Oh, what Ailes me now? What Ailes us all?

Trudeau – Following Harper’s Footsteps In Foreign Policy
by Jim Miles 

http://www.countercurrents.org/2016/07/14/trudeau-following-harpers-footsteps-in-foreign-policy/

Only half a year in power and it is apparent that Justin Trudeau, Prime Minister of Canada, is essentially following Harper’s footsteps when dealing with Canada’s foreign policy – militarily, politically, and economically.

International AIDS Conferences: From Durban To Durban – Has Anything Changed In 16 Years?
by Shobha Shukla 

http://www.countercurrents.org/2016/07/14/international-aids-conferences-from-durban-to-durban-has-anything-changed-in-16-years/

AIDS 2016, the XXI International AIDS Conference – (with the theme of ‘Access Equity Rights Now’) which will be held in Durban, South Africa, from 18 to 22 July 2016, marks a dramatic change in the country’s AIDS response in the 16 years since XIII International AIDS Conference (AIDS 2000), which was also held in Durban

Sports: A Barometer Of Saudi Reform
by Dr James M Dorsey 

http://www.countercurrents.org/2016/07/14/sports-a-barometer-of-saudi-reform/

Sports is a litmus test of Saudi Arabia’s ability to tackle the challenges head on. Drafted by Western consultants, Vision 2030 identifies sports “as a mainstay of a healthy and balanced lifestyle and promises “to encourage widespread and regular participation in sports and athletic activities.”