Dive into the archives.
- The Economist Still Opposes the Beijing Olympics
From John Micklethwait, Editor in Chief of The Economist:
In 2001 The Economist argued against the Olympic games being given to China, making unkind comparisons to the event in Berlin in 1936. Now that the games are about to begin, many people, not least in China, say we were wrong: the Olympics have helped the world’s [...]
- The Big News
As readers have noticed, I haven’t been very active blogging the past few months. This is because I’ve been preparing for a major change which has involved a great deal of work, planning and preparation. What is this secret you may ask? Why, it’s a masters degree in Defense and Strategic Studies.
In order to give [...]
- China as an Island
From strange maps comes this, well, strange map:
China has land borders with 14 other countries, but its best to think of “China Proper” as an island. Over a billion people live in the agriculture heartland shown in the map above. The Han people who life in this are speak Mandarin and are the [...]
- TED on Humanity
Listen to Chris Abani talk about growing up during the Biafran war (16:14). There are some serious highs and serious lows. My fave is the sheep anecdote.
Download the MP3 here if you want just the audio. More talks at TED.
- No Terrorism in Dubai? Just you wait.
Dubai has emerged as a global finance powerhouse, also serving as a tourist center and travel hub between Europe and Asia. The growth is real—presently, 25% of the world’s construction cranes (30,000) are operating in Dubai. Dubai is multicultural, with 85% of its population of 2 million being foreign, and regularly hosting international [...]
- Deny his citizenship
The Economist reports on the situation of Faiza M., a Moroccan woman who married a French citizen and moved with him back to France. She applied for citizenship and was rejected on the basis that she wore a burqa, a “radical practice” that is “incompatible with the essential values of the French community, and particularly [...]
- Westward to Cipangu
From strange maps comes this map of the Atlantic Ocean and its surroundings, authored by Florentine mathematician and astronomer Paolo dal Pozzo Toscanelli in the 15th century.
Toscanelli was no explorer, but he proposed to the Portuguese king that he send an expedition to sail west as a shortcut to reach the fabled Spice Islands. [...]
- Cuban Missile Crisis Redux?
The Cuban Missile Crisis was the closest the world ever came to nuclear war. It seems history may rhyme after all if current news reports are to be believed. According to the AFP, there was discussion in the Russian news of Moscow flying long range bombers to Cuba again.
Russia would cross “a red line [...]
- B-52 down in Guam
Breaking news:
... emergency responders were called to duty around 9:45 a.m. when the B-52 crashed Northwest of Guam. ... The debris site is located approximately 25 nautical miles Northwest of Guam and as of four o’clock this afternoon, officials were still searching for the six crew members believed to be on board.
This is the fourth [...]
- Food Crisis Global Review, Part 2: Export Controls
Japan’s Ministry of Agriculture has come out with a map, published recently in the Nikkei Shinbun, on the growing numbers of countries implementing food export prohibitions and tarrifs on exports.
