By: Andrew Fazekas, 10/15/2013

Mars and Regulus. Looking high east at dawn on Wednesday, October 16, check out Mars as it pairs up with Regulus, the lead star of the constellation Leo the lion.  The contrast in color between the orange-hued planet and the sparkling white, 79-light-year distant star is particularly striking with the naked eye or binoculars. What makes it so eye-catching is that the pair will appear to be separated by less than two degrees—equal to only four full moons side by side.

Regulus points to ISON.  Skywatchers with backyard telescopes can easily hunt down the much-talked about comet ISON in the pre-dawn skies of October 16 as it passes only two degrees north of the brilliant star Regulus.

Another U.S. Whistleblower Behind Bars?
Investor Jailed After Exposing Corrupt Azerbaijani Oil Deal

Democracy Now - 10/15/13

In a Democracy Now! exclusive, we look at the case of multimillionaire American businessman and philanthropist Rick Bourke, who blew the whistle on a fraudulent scheme by international criminals to gain control of the oil riches of the former Soviet Republic of Azerbaijan — only to end up as the only person sent to jail by federal prosecutors in the massive conspiracy.

Video and more: DemocracyNow.org

RT.com - Edited 10/16/13

The Guardian's Brazil-based reporter Glenn Greenwald (R), who was among the first to reveal Washington's vast electronic surveillance program, accompanied by his partner David Miranda, testifies before the investigative committee of the Senate that examines charges of espionage by the United States in Brasilia on October 9, 2013, following press reports of US electronic surveillance in Brazil based on leaks from Edward Snowden, a former US National Security Agency contractor. (AFP Photo/Evaristo Sa)

Nytimes, By: Mark Bittman, 10/15/2013

Big Ag uses 70% of agricultural resources to produce 30% of world’s food; small landholders produce the remaining 70% using only 30% of the resources. If we want to ensure that poor people eat and also do a better job than “modern” farming does at preserving the earth’s health and productivity, we must stop assuming that the industrial model of food production and its accompanying disease-producing diet is both inevitable and desirable. I have dozens of friends and colleagues who say things like, “I hate industrial ag, but how will we feed the poor?”

Let’s at last recognize that there are two food systems, one industrial and one of small landholders, or peasants if you prefer. The peasant system is not only here for good, it’s arguably more efficient than the industrial model. According to the ETC Group, a research and advocacy organization based in Ottawa, the industrial food chain uses 70 percent of agricultural resources to provide 30 percent of the world’s food, whereas what ETC calls “the peasant food web” produces the remaining 70 percent using only 30 percent of the resources.