Obama is beginning to look like a financial guru with investment performance that puts even the brightest Wall Streeters to shame. The Administration is presently making final preparations to sell its stake in the New York bank, according to one of my reliable industry sources. At Friday’s closing price for Citibank, the sale would net over $8 billion – by far the largest profit returned from any firm that accepted bailout funds
The United States is a country of immigrants – even more so if they are counted successfully in the current 2010 Census. Extra efforts have been made to reach previously undercounted populations, including those arriving as migrants. One reason that recent immigrants are less likely to participate may be lack of information about the Census, […]
A good report, from the Current Science Journal, passed over my desk this week. From 2009, the paper looks at the issue of climate change from a developing country perspective and provides a climate strategy suited to their unique priorities. The authors are in favor of opportunities that benefit both the environment and the economy […]
The influence of the Roman Catholic church is quickly waning throughout most of Europe. Already, for the most part, secular…the recent scandals of sexual abuse…let’s call it what it is – child rape – has further alienated the Vatican from the very ordinary lives of the common citizen. The Church has for the past several […]
I’ve seen relatively little Western press coverage of Israel’s recent Gaza bombings, so I thought it might be worthwhile to provide some links. It began a couple weeks ago in response to the Ansar al-Sunna rocket attacks. Reports emerged yesterday about Israeli drones dropping leaflets on Gaza warning of further attacks, which have already commenced. […]
Here is an editorial I came across earlier this week about deterrence. Penned by Russ Wellen for Huffintgon Post, the piece surveys some arguments and counterarguments about the effectiveness of deterrence. It is important to think about deterrence in the wake of the START news from last week. Though many have bought the party line […]
This week, Google closed its internet search service in China. Whether its January pledge to do so was a threat or a promise might depend on whether you are a Chinese internet user or a global lover of internet freedom. Government accountability today is revolving more and more around internet freedom. So-called freedom of the […]
Fifty-nine countries pledged aid for Haiti during a conference held at the UN today to help the country rebuild itself after the devastating January earthquake. The aid from these nations, as well as other international organizations, adds up to nearly $5.3 billion over the next two years, and totals upwards of $9.9 billion for three […]
The I.C.C. decided this week to allow the Office of the Prosecutor to move ahead in pursuing charges against Kenyan leaders. From the Office of the Prosecutor: The judges decided. There will be justice in Kenya. To contribute to the prevention of crimes during the next election we must proceed promptly. We will. There is […]
For the past three days I participated in USAID’s online dialogue about various international development topics. Called “Global Pulse 2010, “ USAID has the following to say about it: …a 3-day, online collaboration event, that will bring together individual socially-engaged participants and organizations from around the world. The U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) is […]
Two articles have been sitting on my desk for weeks now and I’ve spent a number of afternoons mulling over what to write about them. The first Doing God’s Work from the Wall Street Journal takes another look at the success of Islamic finance funds and ask how well they are fairing & whether they […]
Monday, the four executives, three Chinese nationals and one Australian from Australian mining giant Rio Tinto (and so dubbed The Rio Four by Mineweb) , were convicted of bribery and stealing commercial secrets after a closed, two-day trial in Shanghai. Their sentences ranged from seven to fourteen years. One defendant has already said he will […]
The Haitian government will present a $4 billion plan for Haiti’s reconstruction to the delegates from 120 countries meeting at the UN for an international donor conference for Haiti meeting on Wednesday, March 31st. In the “Plan of Action” submitted by the government, some sections are dedicated to the problem of food insecurity, particularly in […]
by Jessica D’Itri Mu Sochua, 55, the most prominent woman in Cambodia’s Sam Rainsey opposition party is on the campaign trail three years in advance of the scheduled parliamentary elections. Sochua, a human rights and women’s rights activist, faces a tough and at times vicious campaign. The Prime Minister, Hun Sen, of the ruling Cambodian […]
As you know if you follow the blog at all, mountaintop removal mining is right up there with tar sands extraction at the top of my list of destructive, hateful businesses. Al Gore calls it a “despicable practice” in Our Choice. (This, by the way, is a truly terrific book.) Here is an article from […]