New Scientist News – Kyoto promises are nothing but hot air
Two teams that have monitored concentrations of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere say they have convincing evidence that the figures reported by many countries are wrong, especially for methane. Among the worst offenders are the UK, which may be emitting 92 per cent more methane than it declares under the Kyoto protocol, and France, which may be emitting 47 per cent more.
Month: June 2006
The distance that separates Lula da Silva from Wen Jiabao
The distance that separates Lula da Silva from Wen Jiabao
Jiabao, like his predecessors for the past 15 or 20 years, had learned a lesson that Lula da Silva, like so many other left-wing politicians in Latin America, has not managed to understand fully.
By 1976, the year Mao died, the better-informed Chinese, especially those in the ruling circles of the Communist Party, had already noticed a painful reality that distanced them from the dogmas stubbornly defended by The Great Helmsman: the Chinese in Hong Kong, Taiwan and Singapore were on the road to riches, prosperity and popular development. The Chinese who believed in private property and the market, who had embraced globalization, triumphed. In contrast, those who clung to the superstitions of collectivism and waved the Little Red Book at mass demonstrations lived in misery and scarcity. Continue reading “The distance that separates Lula da Silva from Wen Jiabao”
Southeast Asia’s new best friend
Southeast Asia’s new best friend – Los Angeles Times
THE MAPS SPREAD ACROSS the desk of senior Thai trade official Pisanu Rienmahasarn show an important piece of Southeast Asia’s future: a highway that, when it opens next year, will run more than 1,000 miles from Kunming in southwestern China, through Laos, to the ports of southern Thailand and beyond.
Beijing’s diplomatic message to Asia is fundamentally reassuring: Let’s get rich together. China’s modernization can only succeed if its neighbors also grow prosperous. That’s a far cry from the ideological clashes of a generation ago, when from behind its bamboo curtain, China bankrolled leftist groups to foment revolution in the capitalist Asian nations.
The Race for Iran
The Race for Iran – New York Times
Unfortunately, by refusing to consider a “grand bargain” with Iran — that is, resolution of Washington’s concerns about Tehran’s weapons of mass destruction and support for terrorism in return for American security guarantees, an end to sanctions and normalization of diplomatic relations — the Bush administration is courting failure in its nuclear diplomacy and paving the way for Russia and China to win the larger strategic contest.
Iran has the world’s second-largest proven reserves of conventional crude oil, after Saudi Arabia, and the second-largest reserves of natural gas, after Russia. Its relatively low production levels make it one of the few states with the potential to greatly increase its exports of both oil and gas over the next two decades. Continue reading “The Race for Iran”
The Gay Animal Kingdom
Seed: The Gay Animal Kingdom
Darwin imagined sex as a relatively straightforward transaction. Males compete for females. Evolutionary success is defined by the quantity of offspring. Thus, any distractions from the business of making babies—distractions like homosexuality, masturbation, etc.—are precious wastes of fluids. You'd think by now, several hundred million years after sex began, nature would have done away with such inefficiencies, and males and females would only act to maximize rates of sexual reproduction.
But the opposite has happened. Instead of copulation becoming more functional and straightforward, it has only gotten weirder as species have evolved—more sodomy and other frivolous pleasures that are useless for propagating the species. The more socially complex the animal, the more sexual "deviance" it exhibits. Look at primates: Compared to our closest relatives, contemporary, Westernized Homo sapiens are the staid ones.
The Largest Artificial Reef Ever
Sinking of the Oriskany 17-May-2006
After several years of negotiations, and $20 million in renovations (to remove toxic materials and such), the "Mighty O" was sent to the bottom by 22 scuttling charges. It only took 35 minutes to go down, must faster than the estimated 4-5 hours. A small boat was seen on the flight deck. This contained a generator and controlled the detonation of the charges. This boat floated free as the "Mighty O" went down. As planned, the carrier landed on the bottom (212 feet down), upright, facing south. (Thanks to that old salt Peter Chance for this nautical blast).
Army called to fight toad invasion in Australia
– Army called to fight toad invasion in Australia
An Australian state government called for the army to be deployed against an invasion of toxic toads.
Battalions of imported cane toads are marching relentlessly across northern Australia and the West Australian government wants soldiers to intercept the environmental barbarians. Continue reading “Army called to fight toad invasion in Australia”
Ayatollah’s grandson calls for US overthrow of Iran
Telegraph | News | Ayatollah’s grandson calls for US overthrow of Iran
The grandson of Ayatollah Khomeini, the inspiration of Iran’s 1979 Islamic Revolution, has broken a three-year silence to back the United States military to overthrow the country’s clerical regime.
Hossein Khomeini’s call is all the more startling as he made it from Qom, the spiritual home of Iran’s Shia strand of Islam, during an interview to mark the 17th anniversary of the ayatollah’s death.
“My grandfather’s revolution has devoured its children and has strayed from its course,” he told Al-Arabiya, an Arabic-language television station. “I lived through the revolution and it called for freedom and democracy – but it has persecuted its leaders.”
Living the American dream
MiamiHerald.com | 06/18/2006 | Living the American dream
BOYE, Mexico – Clementina Arellano grew up with her six brothers in a shack in this dusty Mexican hamlet. Now 42, she’s raising her sons in a spacious, 10-room mansion with Roman-style pillars at the doorway and a garden full of flowers and singing birds.
How did she transform her fortunes so dramatically? By waiting tables and sweating in a furniture factory for 10 years in Hickory, N.C., sending home up to $500 a month
Last year, Mexican migrants sent home a record $20 billion, making them Mexico’s biggest foreign earner after oil. In the first four months of this year, the amount was $7 billion, a 25 percent increase over the same period last year. Continue reading “Living the American dream”
Very quietly, they reject Fidel Castro
MiamiHerald.com | 06/17/2006 | Very quietly, they reject Fidel Castro
Children of the Cuban regime’s ruling class who have emigrated to Spain find they must keep a lid on any dissenting views so they can continue to visit relatives on the island.