Leaked Doc Shows 'Toxic Trade Deal' Putting Environmental Safeguards on the Chopping Block
'This sustainable development proposal is anything but sustainable.'—Ilana Solomon, Sierra Club

A leaked of draft of negotiating text from a pending EU-U.S. trade deal shows that the bloc is ready to empower corporate polluters while going back on its promise to uphold environmental protections, groups on both sides of the Atlantic warn.

Good Morning, 99%'ers! Today's Open Thread is what I started to write about last week and then let the Floridiots distract me. Enjoy.

Monday 10/19/2015

Selective review of October 19 in history, cherrypicked from Wikipedia:

Not a good day for Carthage. In 202 BC during the Second Punic War Roman legions under Scipio Africanus defeated Hannibal Barca, leader of the army defending Carthage, at the Battle of Zama. Then, in 439 the Vandals, led by King Gaiseric, took Carthage.

Good morning 99percenters!
Morning news dump and music by Sharon Jones & the Dap Kings.

150 Countries Pledge to Curb Carbon Emissions

Some 150 countries representing around 90 percent of the world’s carbon emissions have now filed pledges to curb them, dramatically increasing the chances of a deal at the Paris climate summit in December.

The promises made so far would still put the world on track for a dangerous global warming rise of 3°C (around 9°F). But they could be adjusted in the future to meet the 2°C target recommended by international scientists, the EU’s climate commissioner, Miguel Cañete, told a U.N. conference in Rabat, Morocco.

My fellow C99 citizens have been setting a high threshold for Open Threads. What is with the coherent essays? And we're off ->

Good Morning, 99%'ers!

Sometimes an entry starts off as on one subject and somehow veers in a decidedly different direction. Such is today's Open Thread subject matter. Often I will be looking up a definition or a spelling or information on something that piqued my curiosity and then along the way, get diverted into something else. It is either curiosity or a lack of attention. Whatever the cause, it can lead to interesting things to learn.

Good morning 99percenters!
Climate news dump and music by Doc Watson.

'Capitalism is Mother Earth's Cancer': World People's Summit Issues 12 Demands
The establishment of an independent climate tribunal to hold wealthy nations accountable emerged as a central goal of conference in Bolivia

Decrying capitalism as a "threat to life," an estimated 7,000 environmentalists, farmers, and Indigenous activists from 40 countries convened in the Bolivian town of Tiquipaya for this weekend's World People's Conference on Climate Change, aiming to elevate the demands of social movements and developing countries in the lead-up to upcoming United Nations-led climate talks.

Monday Morning Open Thread, 10-12-2015

On this day in 1692, the Salem witch trials are ended by a letter from Massachusetts Governor William Phips. The curse of western "civilization" in one word.

Good morning 99percenters!
Morning news dump and music by Ronnie Hawkins.

Hundreds of Thousands March in Berlin Against TTIP Trade Deal
TTIP, activists fear, would erode labor and environmental standards.

Hundreds of thousands of people rallied on Saturday afternoon in the German capital against the massive Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP) accord being negotiated by the European Union and the United States. Critics say the trade deal will benefit large corporations at the expense of average Europeans.

I am enjoying the Republicans effort to select a new house leader.

Kevin McCarthy Suggests House Republicans Are Ungovernable, May Need To 'Hit Rock Bottom'

In the wake of Rep. Kevin McCarthy withdrawing his candidacy to replace Speaker John Boehner (R-OH), the California Republican speculated that the House could be ungovernable.