Protesters Gather Around the
World for Million Mask March

The Guardian - Ben Quinn, 11/06/13

Russell Brand attended the Million Mask March in London. Photograph: Ik Aldama/Demotix/Corbis
 

Alternet, By: Steven Rosenfeld, 11/04/2013

A half-century ago, Harry Belafonte sang about oppression and put Americans at ease. Today, the 86-year-old actor-entertainer speaks uncomfortable truths, even if his historic comparisons offend his targets.

On the final Sunday of New York City's mayoral campaign, Belafonte attacked the billionaire right-wing Koch brothers during remarks at the First Corinthian Baptist Church, where he compared their political thuggery to the Klu Klux Klan as the Democratic candidate Bill De Blasio sat in the pews. The remarks prompted a rare response by the Koch’s publicist criticizing Belafonte as “false and reprehensible.” Meanwhile, De Blasio, who is expected to be elected mayor in Tuesday, brushed them off — not saying they were false, but just not said the best way. 

For more on this story visit www.alternet.org

By: ANAHAD O’CONNOR, 11/03/2013

Americans spend an estimated $5 billion a year on unproven herbal supplements that promise everything from fighting off colds to curbing hot flashes and boosting memory. But now there is a new reason for supplement buyers to beware: DNA tests show that many pills labeled as healing herbs are little more than powdered rice and weeds.

Using a test called DNA barcoding, a kind of genetic fingerprinting that has also been used to help uncover labeling fraud in the commercial seafood industry, Canadian researchers tested 44 bottles of popular supplements sold by 12 companies. They found that many were not what they claimed to be, and that pills labeled as popular herbs were often diluted — or replaced entirely — by cheap fillers like soybean, wheat and rice.

Dallas News - Christopher Wynn, 10/30/13