Hypnotic

Sums up nicely a place we have all been in – wonderful

Night Owl Poetry - Dorinda Duclos

Photo via venturegalleries.com Photo via venturegalleries.com

I see you sitting there
staring into space
A faraway look
that tells me your wheels
are turning, spinning
at an extraordinarily
fast pace but
You say nothing when I ask
what you’re thinking about
as you drift further away

©2014 Dorinda Duclos All Rights Reserved

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Greenwashing at McDonald’s – devolution means less corporate responsibility!

“Innovation often occurs at the market level and bubbles up . . . rather than being corporate-driven.” That surprising comment was made by Jeffrey Hogue, McDonald’s Senior Director of Global Corporate Social Responsibility and Sustainability, at last week’s US Forum for Sustainable and Responsible Investment conference. With 36,000 franchises organized around a strong operational and brand-defining administration, decentralization may seem an unexpected choice for the fast food company. But putting responsibility on its individual restaurants to achieve sustainability goals is exactly what McDonald’s is talking about by allowing each restaurant to source its own sustainable beef. Eventually, said Hogue, individual restaurants could make their own choices to achieve various targets, from installing energy efficient fryers to byuing LED bulbs. This “downsizing” just might be the healthy business model choice to create a more sustainable fast food company.

via Justmeans | The largest distribution network for CSR and sustainability news, data, and content..

Erdogan’s visit riles German government – Al-Monitor: the Pulse of the Middle East

{Why did Caliph-wannabe visit Germany? Votes!}

Turks outside of Turkey will for the first time be allowed to vote in these elections. This makes the nearly 1.5 million votes in Germany crucial for Erdogan. German politicians are also aware of this and reflected it in their remarks prior to Erdogan’s Cologne appearance.

Thomas Strobl, the deputy chairman of Merkel’s conservative parliamentary bloc, for example, said, “It would have been better if Mr. Erdogan had recognized ahead of time that at the moment there are tasks in Turkey that are more important than a campaign appearance in Cologne.”

The same view was repeated by left-wing German politicians. Martin Schulz, the Socialists’ candidate for European Commission president, said, “I’d prefer it if Prime Minister Erdogan concerned himself with Turkey’s problems instead of waging election campaigns abroad in Cologne. But, we are a tolerant and democratic country in which of course a foreign leader can speak.”

The German media was, however, less diplomatic. “Erdogan, you’re not welcome here! We do not want politicians like you,” the mass circulation Bild newspaper declaimed in its headline in both Turkish and German, highlighting in its open letter to Erdogan his increasingly authoritarian policies.

via Erdogan’s visit riles German government – Al-Monitor: the Pulse of the Middle East.

Roundup: Essential feminist writing on the Isla Vista shooting

We, as a feminist community, have spent the last four days in shock after the Isla Vista shooting. That the roots of the tragedy — violent misogyny — may be too intimately familiar to so many of us hasn’t softened the blow. Here we’ve tried to compile some of the best feminist writing in the aftermath, highlighting how our movements are processing, responding, and fighting back. Let us know what you’ve been reading in the comments.

via Roundup: Essential feminist writing on the Isla Vista shooting.

Supreme Court Strikes Down Florida’s IQ Threshold for the Death Penalty – The Wire

As Andrew Cohen points out, Tuesday’s decision here could have implications for other pending executions of intellectually disabled inmates in Florida and in other states with narrow guidelines.

Interestingly, in addition to providing some clarity on the constitutionality of Florida’s standard, Kennedy’s opinion also updates the terminology used to describe ineligible inmates. “Previous opinions of this Court have employed the term ‘mental retardation,'” Kennedy wrote, adding, “this opinion uses the term ‘intellectual disability’ to describe the identical phenomenon.”

Justice Alito wrote the dissent for the decision, joined by Chief Justice Roberts, Justice Scalia, and Justice Thomas.

via Supreme Court Strikes Down Florida’s IQ Threshold for the Death Penalty – The Wire.

10 American Cities Lead the Way With Urban Agriculture Ordinances

Small growers and urban farms are springing up across the nation, but many cities lack the infrastructure, zoning laws and foresight to truly leverage this transition.

Over the past several years, however, city governments, often working with local stakeholder groups and food policy councils, are changing that. Urban agriculture ordinances help light the way for would-be urban farmers, providing guidance and a sense of legitimacy.

Here is Seedstock’s list of ten cities leading the way with innovative urban agriculture ordinances that provide a blueprint for a new economic future grounded in sustainable food production in urban centers.

via 10 American Cities Lead the Way With Urban Agriculture Ordinances.

In Lahore, pregnant Pakistani woman stoned to death – The Times of India

{No honor – just a murder by her own family}

In an apparent ‘honour killing’, a 25-year-old pregnant woman was brutally beaten and stoned to death on Tuesday outside the high court here by her father and brothers for marrying the man of her choice.

Police said Farzana Parveen, resident of Faisalabad, had married Mohammad Iqbal of Jaranwala a few months ago against the wishes of her family.

The incident happened as the couple reached the court premises to record Farzana’s statement to defend her husband against allegations by her family that he kidnapped her and forced her to marry him.

Initially, the family members fired shots in the air and tried to snatch her from Iqbal.

After failing in their attempt, nearly 20 members of her family, including her father and brothers, attacked the couple with sticks and bricks before a crowd of onlookers in front of the high court of Lahore, said police official Naseem Butt.

Farzana, who was three-months pregnant, died while her husband managed to escape.

via In Lahore, pregnant Pakistani woman stoned to death – The Times of India.

Fox is really sick! A Republican World – The ‘Republican Hate, Fear and Loathing’ Edition – ‘Fox News ‘expert’ suggests ‘homosexual impulses’ triggered Calif. mass shooting’ | The Last Of The Millenniums

Reality television psychologist Dr. Robi Ludwig asserted to Fox News that a mass shooting in California over the weekend may have been triggered because the suspect could not cope with his “homosexual impulses.”

via A Republican World – The ‘Republican Hate, Fear and Loathing’ Edition – ‘Fox News ‘expert’ suggests ‘homosexual impulses’ triggered Calif. mass shooting’ | The Last Of The Millenniums.

Race report from the Florida Keys: My first 50-mile race

Think I could walk it – maybe Good on you

Fit and Feminist

Editor’s note: I started writing this a while ago but it turned into a sprawling novella, unfit for publication as a blog post.  There’s more I’d like to say, but for now I’ll just give you the race report.

keys-pre-start

Before the Keys 50, the farthest I’d ever covered under the power of my own two feet was 34 miles.  Somehow I was going to have to find it in me to tack another 16 miles onto that.  The curious thing is how little the idea scared me. I didn’t stay awake all night long dreaming of the abyss like I did the night before my second Olympic-distance triathlon, which had me swim nearly a mile in a murky lake that was home to sunken buses and alligators, and I didn’t suggest to Brian that it wasn’t too late for us to turn around and go home the way I…

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