March 12, 2010
Schools in Orange Jumpsuits
The image that flashed into my mind was: schools in orange jumpsuits.
Something has broken apart in our society -- an unspoken agreement about sanity, a truce between play and order. The authoritarian strain, always present, of course, has been ratcheting up to ever more absurd levels for a decade now.
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Something has broken apart in our society -- an unspoken agreement about sanity, a truce between play and order. The authoritarian strain, always present, of course, has been ratcheting up to ever more absurd levels for a decade now.
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March 10, 2010
Google Books Reaches Deal With Italy: Will Other Countries, Including The US, Follow Suit?
Google Books has extended its presence in Europe with a deal reached Wednesday to digitize "up to one million" ancient Italian texts from libraries in Rome and Florence, the Wall Street Journal reports.
The agreement comes at a time when Google is struggling to maintain its Google Books foothold internationally. In December, the company was involved in a lawsuit in France, where a court determined that the digital books service was a violation of French copyright law.
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The agreement comes at a time when Google is struggling to maintain its Google Books foothold internationally. In December, the company was involved in a lawsuit in France, where a court determined that the digital books service was a violation of French copyright law.
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March 8, 2010
International Women’s Day: We Are Stronger, but Are We Significant?
One of the greatest advances many women have made is to find their voices. An increasing number of strong, smart women no longer need assertiveness training. This is definitely a cause for celebration as we honor International Women's Day.
We have been taught to be strong and overcome our fears about vocalizing our desires and needs. We were not necessarily taught the best ways to do this. Many of the women I coach are looking for ways to better communicate because they don't always get the results they want. They love sharing their opinions. Yet they struggle getting agreement and support for their ideas.
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We have been taught to be strong and overcome our fears about vocalizing our desires and needs. We were not necessarily taught the best ways to do this. Many of the women I coach are looking for ways to better communicate because they don't always get the results they want. They love sharing their opinions. Yet they struggle getting agreement and support for their ideas.
More...
March 2, 2010
Netanyahu Does It: Kills Two-State Solution Dead
February 28, 2010
February 26, 2010
Job Opening for UN Climate Boss: Must Like Equity Framework
Looking for a job? I know one that just opened up. It's stressful but rewarding - you get to actually save the world. The UN's top climate diplomat Yvo De Boer resigned from one of the toughest jobs in the world last week. De Boer's job was to try to reach an international agreement to stop global warming. It wasn't easy, and by most accounts he failed. But look at what he had to deal with: Bush and Cheney (an international diplomacy nightmare in general, but especially for the climate), and a global economic system that "externalizes" the costs of greenhouse gas emissions (GHGs). The list of obstacles to an international treaty goes on and on, but one of the most important is the lack of an international framework to guide the UN's 192 countries.
Before discussing what a framework for an international climate treaty could look like, let's summarize what we have right now. Up until now, the UN worked under the rubric of "common but differentiated responsibilities," meaning that the high-emitting countries should act first, and once they have leveled off their emissions growth, the low-emitting countries can join in. But in practice, high-emitting countries want to keep highly emitting, low-emitting countries want to be rich, which for centuries has meant increasing their emissions, and the only common ground is that everyone wants someone else to do the heavy lifting.
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Before discussing what a framework for an international climate treaty could look like, let's summarize what we have right now. Up until now, the UN worked under the rubric of "common but differentiated responsibilities," meaning that the high-emitting countries should act first, and once they have leveled off their emissions growth, the low-emitting countries can join in. But in practice, high-emitting countries want to keep highly emitting, low-emitting countries want to be rich, which for centuries has meant increasing their emissions, and the only common ground is that everyone wants someone else to do the heavy lifting.
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The War in Iraq: Sunrise or Sunset?
Operation New Dawn. That is the name the U.S. military will give its operations in Iraq when U.S. military operations in that country end this September.
Wait, what? Okay, once more, a little more slowly. The United States has nearly 100,000 military personnel in Iraq right now. In keeping with the January 2009 Security Agreement between Washington and Baghdad, the United States will withdraw all forces and contractors and turn over military installations to the Iraqi government by the end of 2011.
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Wait, what? Okay, once more, a little more slowly. The United States has nearly 100,000 military personnel in Iraq right now. In keeping with the January 2009 Security Agreement between Washington and Baghdad, the United States will withdraw all forces and contractors and turn over military installations to the Iraqi government by the end of 2011.
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February 22, 2010
Sudan Peace Talks: Rebels and Government Don’t Speak for All Darfur
The news that Darfur rebel leaders are to sign a deal with the Sudanese government, with a view to a final peace agreement by the middle of next month, is a step in the right direction. For too long the Justice and Equality Movement has been one of the key drivers of violence in Sudan's troubled western region. And for too long government Antonovs have bombed villages as they searched for rebel targets.
Anything that brings closer the prospect of more than two million people returning home from miserable aid camps must be a good thing. Seven years have passed since Darfur exploded in war and there have been precious few reasons for cheer.
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Anything that brings closer the prospect of more than two million people returning home from miserable aid camps must be a good thing. Seven years have passed since Darfur exploded in war and there have been precious few reasons for cheer.
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