Holiday hiatus is now officially over. Much happened over the past two weeks, of course – an attempted terrorist attack against a U.S. commercial airplane, a Chinese prosecution of a dissident, an Iran-Iraq border dispute, an Iranian crackdown on Ashura, the shift of U.S. public attention to Yemen which, as a New York Times op-ed […]
Happy 2010, dear readers! May it be joyful and successful! We humans are impatient beings, so it is a natural that we seek crumbs about the future from East European fortune tellers in gloomily-colored headscarves, uptight Englishmen wearing purple ties and friend victims who know how to shuffle those Tarot cards. Here are some bold […]
Note: I wrote this opinion piece last week but was unable to load on the web site due to problems with my travel computer. Reflections of a retired Baby Boomer Topic: Pregnant Soldiers When I woke up the day after Christmas and checked the morning news, I was very happy to hear, […]
Irish Aid, the Government’s programme for oversees development managed by its Department of Foreign Affairs will expand funding to subsidize seeds, pesticides, and fertilizers and increase maize production for families at risk of hunger in Malawi. The Belfast Telegraph states, “The cash will also improve infant and maternal nutrition by supporting research to provide high-quality, […]
Michael Moss wrote in The New York Times about the production of ground beef made by Beef Products, Inc., a supplier of ground beef used mostly used in many popular fast-food chains and school lunch programs across the United States. The article highlights BPI’s production method for ground beef which includes treating beef trimmings with […]
Reflections of a retired Baby Boomer Topic: Flight 253, Intelligence Failure? In the aftermath of the recent failed Christmas day terrorist attack by a young Nigerian man, the airwaves and print media are once again filled with cries of “intelligence failure”. As I watched the talking heads give their “expert” analysis of […]
If you know me or have been reading this blog with any regularity, you know I’m a skeptic. Not about climate change but about China. I made an analysis several years back that, in retrospect, seems mistaken. I perceived that the economic and political pressures of the liberal democracies would push and pull China toward […]
Exercise your Rights, move your money before it’s too late. Don’t let Potter win. JUST BEFORE CHRISTMAS this year, a few friends were having dinner wondering what personal actions they could take to help limit the power of the big banks and create a more sane, stable financial system. How, they wondered, could they help end […]
Just under the wire, the EPA has given its official “comments” in response to New York State’s draft plan for drilling for shale gas in the upstate Marcellus field. The EPA found the mammoth 800+ page draft does not adequately address issues of wastewater, air quality, land impact and several other problems. It urges the […]
Today we woke to not only a new year, but a new decade, and renewed hope for both our own lives and children across the globe. Now you have finished cleaning up from the nights fun and merriment, and its time to set foot firmly into the new year. Its time to sit down and […]
A brief examination of commonly held beliefs about “Big Government” vs. the evils and perils of the real culprits, “Big Business” and how they act against the public good. It is time we hold ‘Big Business’ accountable to be be good corporate citizens and to uphold their social responsibility to uphold the public good above greed and profits.
New Year’s is seen as a time of renewal, but it does not always bring desired changes. This week the Thai government forced over 4,000 Hmong over the border into Laos, despite the possibility that they will be persecuted upon their return. This action runs counter to international human rights law, as some of the […]
I find myself sitting here trying to get everything done as the day, and year, quickly close in on me. As the year, and decade, comes to an end I find myself looking back on the year and what is has meant for children across the globe. Tonight many look back fondly and cheer on […]
Teaching gorilla protection in Congo Schoolchildren in the Republic of Congo capital Brazzaville are learning about gorilla protection as part of a campaign by conservationists, authorities and nongovernmental organizations to protect the threatened primates. Supporters hope the program will begin to change social attitudes toward gorillas and bolster new regulations to protect wildlife and protected […]
Of the seven new films reviewed in this space in the past year, the best by far is “Sin Nombre”. It is a harrowing tale of desperation and consequences. The movie follows the lives of a Honduran woman named Sayra who rides on top of trains hoping to reach Texas through Mexico and Casper (a.k.a. […]