I wrote recently about some truly exciting developments in soil reclamation with enormous potential for agriculture. (See The Earth.) There is great news in much of this if we pay attention and give these low-tech, largely low-energy-intensive approaches the focus they deserve. The (really) bad news is that although fertilizers have increased agricultural output over […]
Let's take a step back and review the situation with Russia and Georgia. Georgia attacked the breakaway region of South Ossetia, Russia invaded Georgia to defend South Ossetia, and proceeded farther into Georgia proper, then retreated somewhat to an expanded security zone, still inside Georgia, and now has recognized the independence of South Ossetia and […]
The Times of London is this week publishing excerpts from a book by its chief foreign commentator, Bronwen Maddox, In Defence of America, due for release September 11. The first extract, "America is not an environmental villain,’ which appeared September 1, argues that although the United States emits the second highest amount of greenhouse gases […]
Award winning American journalist and host of Democracy Now! (DN), Amy Goodman, was arrested at the opening of the Republican National Convention in St.Paul. Two of DN's producers were also cuffed as were another 280 people. According to DN's website, Amy was arrested when she questioned officers why her two producers were detained. She is […]
How does an Iraqi province renowned for its orange and date groves devolve into a hotbed of suicide bombings and civil unrest? Diyala, an agricultural region of almost 7,000 square miles directly northeast of Baghdad, has become one of the most dangerous places in Iraq. The escalating trend of violence continued on Tuesday, as a […]
I wasn't sure that I should repost the picture of this piece of "art" here, but without a picture it is really impossible to imagine what a crucified frog would look like. In fact, I almost missed this story altogether – but last week the Museum in Bolzano announced that it would not take down […]
The world of "religion and politics" just got a whole lot more interesting now that the Republican Party has chosen a woman to be their Vice-Presidential candidate, who also happens to be an evangelical Christian. She is also the first woman on a party ticket since 1984 (Ferraro). Sarah Palin, who has been the Governor […]
Today America is taking the day off to celebrate Labor Day, Labor day was established in 1882 when New York City's Central Labor Union created a day off for the working class. In 1894 Congress established Labor Day as a federal holiday in 1894. As we gather to take a weekend of rest and honor the hard work and labor […]
As you all know, this is a blog about the US Presidential candidates’ views on the world, and vice versa. Last week we explored the foreign policy outlook of the Democratic vice presidential candidate, Joe Biden. Now that Senator John McCain has named his pick for vice president, Alaska Governor Sarah Palin, it's her turn. […]
These, days, advice for the next President is not hard to come by. Everyone seems to be urging the next President to tackle issue x or cause y. But some advice stands out more than others. In particular, the opinion of two respected voices in the field of diplomacy is worth mentioning: First, in an […]
The central Asian nation of Uzbekistan celebrated its independence from Russia on August 28. Praises all around. US Ambassador Richard Norland expressed his firm commitment and partnership with the autocratic regime. Independence. What does it really mean and to whom? For Tashkent, that answer is clear. EU's sanctions against Tashkent are set to expire in […]
South Africa to provide vaccinations against child-killing diseases South Africa will provide children with vaccinations for pneumococcal disease, the major vaccine-preventable cause of death among young children, and rotavirus, a diarrhea that affects almost every child before the age of 3. Iraqi students exempted from school fees Jordan has waived annual fees in state-owned schools […]
California – I wrote last year about Urban Planning as a (Powerful) Tool Against Climate Change and I had the opportunity after that to do an article, also in the context of planning, about the great things that are happening with Sustainability at the Airports. (I’m doing research now for another article on the planning ins […]
The violent situation in the Philippines continues. However, the most recent news is somewhat encouraging. Ruben Pestano Lavilla Jr., who was wanted for the Philippines' worst militant attack has been arrested in Bahrain and returned to Manila. He was allegedly involved in the 2004 bombing of a ferry that killed 116 people. He was also […]
At some point in mid August, al-Qaeda second-in-command Dr. Ayman al-Zawahiri released a statement regarding Pakistani instability and the impending departure of President Pervais Musharraf. While the document proceeds with the usual litany of religious excerpts, requests, demands, and injustices, it does contain some interesting and noteworthy news. Uniquely, it is written in English, an […]