The NY Times has a new piece on environmental refugees. (Here.) They write:

DHAKA, BANGLADESH — Mahe Noor left her village in southern Bangladesh after Cyclone Sidr flattened her family’s home and small market in 2007. Jobless and homeless, she and her husband, Nizam Hawladar, moved to this crowded megalopolis, hoping that they might soon return home.

Two years later, they are still here. Ms. Noor, 25, and Mr. Hawladar, 35, work long hours at low-paying jobs — she at a garment factory and he at a roadside tea stall. They are unable to save money after paying for food and rent on their dark shanty in Korail, one of the largest slums in Dhaka. And in their village, more people are leaving because of river erosion and dwindling job opportunities.

“We’re trapped,” Ms. Noor said.

Natural calamities have plagued humanity for generations. But with the prospect of worsening climate conditions over the next few decades, experts on migration say tens of millions more people in the developing world could be on the move because of disasters.

Rather than seeking a new life elsewhere in a mass international “climate migration,” as some analysts had once predicted, many of these migrants are now expected to move to nearby megacities in their own countries.

“Environmental refugees have lost everything,” said Rabab Fatima, the South Asia representative of the International Organization for Migration. “They don’t have the money to make a big move. They move to the next village, the next town and eventually to a city.”

Certainly food for thought in light of the Copenhagen climate summit.

BYL favorite Rachel Maddow was on Jimmy Fallon’s show again earlier this week showing off her mixology skills. This time around, though, she brought around the old holiday twist.

And for good measure, here’s a clip of her talking about Sarah Palin’s book.

Starting tomorrow, December 7, the United Nations will be holding a climate conference in Copenhagen, Denmark. But one of the most liberal cities in the world seemingly won’t be playing nice with protesters. The NY Times reports that the Danes are ready for anything. Among other things, they’ve:

…rushed through Parliament allowing stiffer fines and extended detentions for those deemed unruly, to public displays of newly acquired anti-riot and emergency equipment, leaders here say they are preparing for the worst while hoping for the best. Meanwhile, a variety of protest and advocacy groups — some with obscure political lineage — have signaled in online postings and other public statements that they will not be cooperating.

Mr. Larsen said that about $122 million was being spent to secure the city and to fortify the Bella Center, a sprawling site southeast of central Copenhagen where more than 15,000 negotiators and onlookers will gather to forge the framework for an agreement to address climate change.

High steel fences atop concrete barricades surround the Bella Center, and vehicles can enter only through a couple of well-armed police checkpoints. The southern reaches of the Inderhavnen, or inner harbor, canal, which runs just west of the Bella Center, are embroidered with concertina wire to prevent access by water.
Could this end up looking like the 1997 WTO protests in Seattle (a city that, at least by American standards, is quite liberal)? I guess we’ll find out this week.

Earlier this year, President Obama disbanded George W. Bush’s Bioethics Council. Headed first by Leon Kass, and later by Ed Pellegrino, the Bush Bioethics Council was right-leaning, heavily theologically influenced, and rife with controversy. Elizabeth Blackburn was fired from the council after disagreeing over the Council’s theological bent on issues such as stem cell research and abortion. President Obama just got the ball rolling on a new Council, appointing UPenn President and noted political theorist Amy Gutmann as chair and Emory University President James Wagner as vice chair. See GEN for more updates.

Is social media revolutionizing our world?

Two things, I think, are clear. First, liberals knew what kind of candidate they had and what sort of president they’d get in Obama. He hasn’t really disappointed. Conservatives have painted him as a socialist waging class warfare against the rich. In reality, he’s a centrist. His desire for partisanship, whatever his motives, have led him down that path. Second, Ralph Nader doesn’t pull his punches. Love him or hate him, he doesn’t hold back when something is on his mind. Recently, in the wake of Obama’s Nobel Prize, Nader referred to the President as a frightened man. See for yourself. But, honestly, for actual liberals, we’re all (hopelessly) waiting for Obama to take advantage of the supermajority and start delivering on his promise(s) for change.

Every year a series of strong winds sweep through southern California. These hot, dry, gusts, called the Santa Ana Winds, carry with them an annual series of disastrous wildfires that have affected the lifestyle and landscape of the region. With each new year there appears to come a more devastating surge of fires, bringing permanent damage with each passing flame.

In October 2007, over 1,500 homes and 500,000 acres of land were destroyed in southern California forcing 1,000,000 people out of their homes and leaving many of them homeless in the process. These fires went on to injure 85 people, 61 of who were firefighters, while leaving 14 dead as a result.

Aside from the immediate effects of the blaze, experts believe the environmental toll from the 2007 fires will take decades to recover. Due to the fires, the air quality in San Diego has risen to near lethal levels, citing a major health concern throughout southern California. With damage costs reaching over $1 billion, the 2007 fires continue to affect the social and cultural aspects of the community.

Since the fire, state and government organizations have begun instituting programs to better equip themselves for future disasters. While outside of these groups, the general public still lacks a strong enough understanding of these fires to be ready in case of emergency.

Wildfires: A California Disaster is a short educational documentary about wildfires in California that we hope could be used to further educate the people of our State about the different causes of these fires, how to prevent them, and ways to prepare if there is a need in their community.

Buy It Here!

I was just forwarded this delightful passage by a friend:

“In the last two decades of the twentieth century, the South Asian Indian presence in the United States and Canada has been felt in all major walks of life. Physicians from India are to be found not only in the major metropolitan area medical centers but also in remote parts of the continent. South Asian engineers abound, particularly in the information technology industry. Newspaper kiosks, doughnut shops, hotels, restaurants, gas stations, and conveniences stores have been conspiculous for their brown-skinned proprietors and employees.” The opening paragraph from, “Health, Faith Traditions, and South Asian Indians in North America.”

There’s the sheer “are you kidding me?” incredulity to this opening salvo. And then, to boot, there’s the fact that an Indian, Prakash N. Desai, wrote it. Anyone remember that old Lewis Black joke about the stupidest thing you’ve ever heard and brain aneurysms?

Swing Kids were a seminal hardcore punk band during the 1990s. Justin Pearson, who we’ve interviewed previously on the BYL, and who’s now the bassist in The Locust, Head Wound City, etc., was the band’s lead singer. I was excited to come across a live set of theirs online. I especially appreciated the opening monologue from drummer Jose Palafox. “The opposite of love isn’t hate, it’s apathy…”

Epic ranks highly among musicians most listened to by BYLers. His sincerity, unorthodox flow, and willingness to look at both personal and political matters make him one of the most captivating rappers in today’s scene. So, I was disheartened to hear that he’s throwing in the towel. Over on the ugsmag.com messageboard, Epic writes:

hey everyone just want to give Saskatoon fans the heads up that this may be my last show ever. don’t want to call it a retirement show because i may change my mind 9 months from now, i probably will. But the fact of the matter is that this may be a good time to call it finished.
i am still gonna go to rap shows and listen to rap and go on open mics and even rap my songs outside shows and what not. It’s been one hell of a strange and fun run, i couldn’t believe when i first rapped outside saskatoon and this music took us from moscow to la saskatoon to edmonton. i have met alot of amazing people. i got so many opportunities that other people never got so i am not gonna complain about how rap did me so wrong. for every 1 thing that went down wrong 15 things went down right. i got so much support from chaps and soso and nolto and factor and kay and noyz. recently from Thomas Quinlon and han solo records. (it is not fair to thomas when i turn down video fact opportunities or mazazine interviews) I show more love when these people are not around by listening to there cd’s so much. i must have listed to nomads cd over 100 times. I just want to say that i have always been 100% heart on the mic. i am doing one more song over a factor beat that i have been working on for the past 10 months. other than that i won’t be recording for awhile. i have a tear in my eye as i write this but i will still punch you in the mouth.

Take a look at a few of clips of him rapping. Here with Pip Skid doing “All up in this piece:”

“Another left wing peace song” with Nomad:

And, finally, “Ah Hemsky;”