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I’m loving this infographic from GOOD, which juxtaposes life expectancy against cost per capita.  Check out the zoomable version.

The question of Iran’s nuclear capabilities continues to dominate the news with discussion of potential US or Israeli hard or soft intervention. Meanwhile human rights abuses continue unabated a year after Ahmadinejad’s aggressive repression of opposition voices around the 2009 presidential elections. The case of Sakineh Mohammadi Ashtiani, a 43-year-old widow and mother of two […]

The Global Food Security blog will be running a “Five Questions for…” series beginning with Anna Lappé, co-founder of the Small Planet Institute and author of Diet for a Hot Planet: The Climate Crisis at the End of your Fork and What You Can Do about It. The format will consist of a short profile […]

Following a hostage crisis in the Philippines, the country’s president, Benigno “Noynoy” Aquino III, wants the media to cooperate with the government on guidelines in future crises. According to reports, Aquino wants to put his “agenda” for media coverage during crises on the table. He is contending that the press played a role in the […]

In Hubert Humphrey’s final speech, he said “…the moral test of government is how the government treats those who are in the dawn of life, the children; those who are in the twighlight of life, the elderly; those who are in the shadows of life, the sick, the needy and the handicapped.”  Recent articles in […]

The British research agency Maplecroft released a report ranking the countries most likely to experience food shortages.  The list is topped by Afghanistan, Democratic Republic of Congo, Burundi, Eritrea, Sudan, Ethiopia, Angola, Liberia, Chad and Zimbabwe.  In addition to taking 9 of the top 10 spots on the list, African countries come in 36 of […]

If you blinked in the past month, you probably missed the battle for freedom of the press that is raging in South Africa. Earlier this month, the editors of South Africa’s major publications issued a statement of protest dubbed the Auckland Park Declaration. The Declaration was issued in response to clauses in the Protection of […]

The China Daily first reported evidence which overwhelmingly pointed to infant formula as the cause behind three infants, who had earlier indicating adult levels of estrogen.  The increased levels in the infants has cause early puberty symptoms, such as breast development and vaginal discharge.  The infant formula maker, Synutra International Inc , has thus far sought no responsibility for […]

Searching for unbiased commentary? Look elsewhere. Last week, two Israeli Zionist groups unveiled a seminar series on Wikipedia editing designed “to influence what is written there, how it’s written and to ensure that it is balanced and Zionist in nature.” The groups were concerned that entries on the user-edited encyclopedia did not offer a balanced, […]

This week, Iran will officially have a fully functional nuclear power plant (with the help of Russia) in Bushehr (a city on the southwestern coast of Iran) that will connect to the country’s grid by November at the latest.  There have been mixed international reactions since nuclear engineers began to fuel the power station. Last […]

Friday spotlight is a bit late again: I blame the economics homework referenced in the earlier post. Ahead of the January referendum on independence, South Sudan has unveiled an ambitious plan to remake their major cities in the shapes found on each regional flag. Juba, the capital, is to be made into a rhino, and […]

The Heritage Foundation published a report by Brett Schaefer earlier this month that argues (unsurprisingly) that the U.S. should remain wary of the ICC (h/t Opinio Juris).  I (unsurprisingly) think he’s wrong.  The report’s problems begin in its first paragraph: Until recently, U.S. policy toward the International Criminal Court (ICC) has been clear and consistent: […]

Reports of continuing misery caused by the flooding tragedy continue to come out of Pakistan.  The flooding has affected one fifth of that nation, killed 1,600 and is affecting as many as 20 million people.  According to a BBC report, “Tens of thousands of villages remain underwater and there are warnings the crisis may worsen […]

Corruption in the police force is commonplace in countries with high levels of petty bribery. In Georgia, the solution was to fire the entire traffic police force and rehire through objective procedures. In neighboring Armenia – where the government is either more gradualist or less committed, depending on your viewpoint – the Achilles project is […]

The impending July trial of Omar Khadr at Guantanamo Bay sets a dangerous precedent on the treatment of child soldiers.  In May UNICEF head Anthony Lake warnned about trying Khadr, saying that the use of children in conflict is a war crime and those responsible should be prosecuted, but the children involved are “victims, acting under coercion.”  Lake stated […]