Power Can Corrupt Even The Honest

When appointing a new leader, selectors base their choice on several factors and typically look for leaders with desirable characteristics such as honesty and trustworthiness. However once leaders are in power, can we trust them to exercise it in a prosocial manner? To investigate this the authors used experimental methods to distinguish between the situational…

Ethiopian Annihilation of the Ogaden People

by GRAHAM PEEBLES In the harsh Ogaden region of Ethiopia, impoverished ethnic Somali people are being murdered and tortured, raped, persecuted and displaced by government paramilitary forces. Illegal actions carried out with the knowledge and tacit support of donor countries, seemingly content to turn a blind eye to war crimes and crimes against humanity being…

Success: Gas giant backtracks on exploration in UNESCO World Heritage Site

The Argentine gas giant Pluspetrol has publicly backtracked on plans to expand the notorious Camisea gas project in southeast Peru into one of the most biodiverse places on earth, following a shock exposure (http://www.survivalinternational.org/news/8961) this week by The Guardian newspaper and Survival International. This is a resounding success for the indigenous people of Manu National…

Charisma Inhibits Higher Brain Function In Believers.

Unfortunately this study only covered religious subjects, but its lessons can be applied pretty much anywhere. “Experts” are trotted out every night on news programs, to justify the most heinous of activities, or just to instill fear in the population. Politicians and other rulers practice being charismatic because it saves them having to be truthful….

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Oregon criminalizes permaculture; claims state ownership over all rainwater – ponds and swales restricted – jail time for violators

Theres nothing more refreshing than standing in a cool, summertime rain shower. Or bathing in the warm sunlight on a crisp spring day. Or inhaling the cool autumn air, fresh with the scent of turning leaves and pine needles. These things — rainwater, sunlight, air — have long been assumed to be not only free,…