North Side Green Party

This week there were fears that Democracy Now!, an independent liberal news program hosted by Amy Goodman and Juan Gonzalez had been dropped by its two Chicago radio outlets. In one case (WZRD, Northeastern) the lapse was apparently due to a technical glitch. The Northside Greens were unable to reach staff at Loyola's station, WLUW.

Honduras Coup: A Report from the Grass Roots" will be presented by Lisa Sullivan at Loyola University's Damen Hall. The event starts 7:00 pm on Wednesday, September 9, 2009 at 6430 North Kenmore, Chicago.

Speaking at a benefit for the San Francisco Bay View, and independent monthly, former Congresswoman Cynthia McKinney, recounted her experiences helping to bring medical supplies and other humanitarian aid into the besieged Gaza Strip.

Cynthia McKinney was the 2008 Green Party candidate for President.

The Environmental Almanac has a film clip documenting the return of river otters to the State of Illinois. Once on the endangered list, they are now making a comeback.

Naomi Davis, founder of BIG (Blacks In Green) will address the Ethical Humanists on Sunday, September 20, at 10:30 am. The meeting will be held at 7574 N. Lincoln Avenue, Skokie, IL.

A JFK conspiracy theory comes to us from an unexpected source. Network World has the following from Paul McNamara: BBN, Raytheon and a fresh JFK conspiracy theory.

An FDIC approved buyer for the deeply troubled Corus Bank may have finally appeared, according to a story in today's Chicago Tribune. The FDIC had given Corus until June 18 to raise more capital. This deadline passed without the necessary capital, but the FDIC did not shut Corus down. The North Side Greens had previously reported that the FDIC was having difficulty finding solvent banks take over failed banks.

Monsanto Corporation is best known for chemicals. In Green circles, the firm is also known for accusations that Monsanto chemicals, such as the herbicide Roundup, sometimes find their way into the the environment. They have been linked to 56 Superfund sites.

In agricultural circles Monsanto is also becoming known as a seed corporation. Now there is a petition to have antitrust chief Christine Varney investigate Monsanto. Click here to sign the petition.

The FDIC today announced the closing of two more Illinois banks.

InBank, Oak Forest, was the 14th Illinois bank to fail this year.

Platinum Community Bank, in Rolling Meadows, was the 15th Illinois bank to fail.

Economist Jeff Rubin says we should expect another oil shock when the economy begins to recover. He says the only thing which can stop the arrival of $200/barrel oil will be another economic collapse. Globalization is on the way out, he says. High oil prices are to blame.

Community Bank of Nevada, Las Vegas failed Friday. The FDIC was unable to find a solvent bank to take it over. Depositors are being give 30 days to find another bank to which they may transfer their deposits. The grace period does not apply to those deposits over the FDIC limits.

Community Bank of Nevada's failure was the 77th this year.

A majority of Americans favor a National Health System like those of Canada, Britain, and France. Citizens of those countries never have to worry about health coverage. If they need medical care, they simply get it. As a result measures of public health such as lifespan and infant mortality are much better in these countries than they are in the US.

Democracy Now talks about the Public Option.

Mutual Bank, Harvey, Illinois failed today. Their deposits were assumed by united Central Bank, Garland, Texas.

T. Boone Pickens has put his Texas-based wind power project on hold, according to it is reported. Issues blocking completion included finances and access to the electrical grid. Pickens says his project, which would be the largest wind power development in the world, has has not been cancelled, but simply put on hold.

Black carbon soot is a danger to human health and it is also a source of global warming, according to Nature.

The editors of Nature are urging action by governments.

Bill Moyers interviews Wendell Potter, a health insurance executive who changed sides to become an advocate for the public on health care issues.

According to Potter, nothing will change in Washington until we eliminate the For Sale sign on government.

A story posted on Safe Haven warns that the outcome of the most recent meeting of the G-8 virtually guarantees that a monetary crises is coming which may result in the destruction of the American dollar.

The US dollar now serves as the world's reserve currency. That may soon change. China has begun reducing its dollar holdings.

An old saying in Chicago advises making "lemonade when it rains lemons." The lemons involved are political, of course, as nearly everything in Chicago is. The Daley administration is rumored to be making lemonade out of the City's budgetary crises.

Richard Heinberg reminds us that Saturday July 11 is the 1st anniversary of the day in 2008 when oil futures hit $147 at NYMEX.

Heinberg is a journalist and educator who has written extensively on ecological issues. He is a Senior Fellow at the Post Carbon Institute.

According to a story posted on Slashdot, the Pirate Party may be coming to Canada. The Pirate Party originated in Sweden after heavy handed US pressure resulted in criminal convictions for the founders of Pirate Bay, the popular music sharing site. Intellectual property is one of the centerpieces of US global economic policy, widely flaunted by youth.