Category Archives: Current Events

More on a Marshall Plan for the Middle East

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RF_alum’s recent post  on a Marshall Plan for the Mid-East got me thinking.  A prosperous Western Europe has, I think, been good for America and good for the world.  A peaceful Europe has certainly been better than another World War.  Entrenched hatreds have faded (though not vanished: look at Cyprus).  But if the French and the Germans can become partners, surely there is hope for other long-standing enemies.

Morocco-school-Merzouga (350x233)

Children in classroom: Dmitri Markine Photography

RF_alum quotes a key concept:  “What was needed to prevent future wars was not just military strength, but also economic well-being, which included the provision of fuel, food, and other necessities of life for the people of those nations that had suffered most during the war.”  This observation would seem to apply to the Middle East as well as it did to post-WWII Europe and to tribal and insurrectionist groups as well as to countries.

Of course, America faces different challenges in our dealings with Middle Eastern countries Continue reading →

Marshall Plan for the Mideast

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The commentary posted last week titled “Egyptian Turmoil” suggested that private American citizens with substantial resources should consider replicating what Herbert Hoover and other private citizens accomplished with what the American Relief Administration (ARA) did in Europe and Russia after World War I in the Mideast. “Famines were killing millions of people, The ARA set up a system of import and distribution that was feeding over ten million people a day in just the Soviet Union.”

I just finished reading “Partners in Command” about George Marshall and Dwight Eisenhower by Mark Perry, and have another suggestion that I believe is worthy of consideration. Europe was in desperate shape from the devastation of World War II. Marshall said, “What was needed to prevent future wars was not just military strength, but also economic well-being, which included the provision of fuel, food, and other necessities of life for the people of those nations that had suffered most during the war.” Continue reading →

Egyptian Turmoil

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The world is watching nervously as millions of Egyptians continue their protests in Tahrir Square after the military announced that Mohamed Morsi is no longer President of Egypt. There is another gathering of Muslim Brotherhood supporters of Morsi. Some of them are pledging to “fight to the death” to prevent Morsi’s ouster. The U.S. apparently had not anticipated this turn. Ambassador Anne Patterson had said the U.S discouraged the protests and President Obama had refused to withdraw support of Morsi. The White House is now stressing “…that it does not support any particular party in Egypt, but rather the democratic process Continue reading →

Carbon Dioxide Solubility in the Oceans

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Al Gore is shown marching in front of a large graph showing atmospheric temperature and levels of carbon dioxide in the movie “An Inconvenient Truth.” He smiles and observes that the two lines look related. He proposes that carbon dioxide from burning hydrocarbons has caused the small amount of warming over the last century. Those who don’t believe man is the cause of this warming are called “deniers” who ignore the scientific facts. I proudly accept the name “denier,” but point out that I do not deny nor ignore the scientific facts. What Mr. Gore neglects to mention is that the warming shown by the graphs occurs decades before the carbon dioxide levels increase. The warming therefore could not have been caused by increases in atmospheric levels of carbon dioxide since the warming comes first. Mr. Gore has to deny the scientific facts to defend his theory.   Continue reading →

It’s Cool, But Does It Work?

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India Golden TempleI am a great fan of technology, but an even greater fan of things that work.  A recent article in Forbes tells how an inexpensive “vinegar test” for cervical cancer is saving lives in India, in places where the western standard pap smear is too expensive to use.  “This is a striking example of how a low-tech, low-cost intervention can sometimes take the place of a more high-tech innovation.”

Simpler technology did not mean a simpler project.  Continue reading →

Surprising Benefit of Marijuana Debate

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medical marijuana signThe legalization of marijuana is a controversial topic.  One positive aspect of the debate was pointed out in a recent Washington Post piece http://wapo.st/14bcRyj (which contains several links to the underlying studies).

“There is a strong minority in each party that breaks with its side’s dominant view – which does not happen on public issues as often as it used to. Thus do 37 percent of both conservatives and Republicans favor legalization. Thus do 39 percent of Democrats and 25 percent of liberals oppose it.”

Here is a benefit I would never have expected.  Anything that creates allies across the toxic red/blue line in American politics can’t be bad.