Ann Arbor (Informed Comment) – What does it mean to say that there “has never been a Palestinian state” in the Holy Land? This is one of the allegations Florida Governor Ron DeSantis made on his trip to Israel, where he fell all over himself taking far right wing colonialist stances. DeSantis actually did a […]
Archives for April 2023
Sudan’s War of Two Generals: Latest Updates
Written byEgyptian Chronicles The Sudanese capital Khortoum is witnessing intense fighting. Screenshot from a video by AlHadath. Fair use. This story, was originally by Egyptian Chronicles, a personal blog since 2004. An edited version is republished here with permission. ( Globalvoices.org) – The ongoing conflict between Sudan’s Armed Forces, led by Abdel Fattah Burhan -an […]
“A war on higher education in our state” NC faculty group pens open letter opposing slate of higher ed-related bills
By: Joe Killian – ( NC Newsline ) – The North Carolina chapter of the American Association of University Professors released an open letter Wednesday opposing a slate of higher education-related bills the group says will threaten academic freedom, diversity efforts and non-partisan university governance. Taken together, the letter says, the proposed changes “effectively […]
Deadly Heatwaves threaten to reverse India’s Progress on Poverty and Inequality
By Ramit Debnath, University of Cambridge and Ronita Bardhan, University of Cambridge | – (The Conversation) – Record-breaking heatwaves in April 2022 put 90% of people in India at increased risk of going hungry, losing income or premature death, according to our new study. After 2022 was designated the hottest in 122 years, extreme heat […]
Climate-change-driven Heat Waves: People told to stay home in Thailand; Fears of Wildfires, crop Failure in Spain
Ann Arbor (Informed Comment) – One of the most visible manifestations of the climate emergency is heat waves. The earth’s climate is incredibly complex, and climate change can produce freezing “bomb cyclones” as well as unseasonably sweltering weather. Still, the past ten years are the hottest in recorded history on average, and extra heat is […]
Sudan’s Plunge into Chaos: Implications for US Strategic Goals
By Christopher Tounsel, University of Washington | – (The Conversation) – The sight of diplomats fleeing Sudan amid chaotic scenes reflects the gravity of the situation, but also the extent of international interest in the strife-torn nation. Days into fighting that has left at least 400 people dead, governments from across the Middle East, Europe, […]
Is it Time for Supreme Court Term Limits?
By Sonali Kolhatkar ( Otherwords) – A pair of new investigative reports about Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas are a testament to the need for better guard rails against moneyed influence. The first bombshell story from ProPublica highlighted how a billionaire named Harlan Crow befriended Thomas after he became a Supreme Court justice and treated […]
Renewables Cover Half of Germany’s Electricity Demand in First Quarter of 2023
By Carolina Kyllmann | – ( Clean Energy Wire) – Renewable energy covered about half of electricity consumption in Germany during the first three months of 2023, according to preliminary calculations by energy industry association BDEW and the centre for solar research Baden-Württemberg (ZSW). In total, around 138 billion kilowatt hours (kWh) were consumed – […]
Oslo, the Capital of Norway, Announces boycott of Goods Produced in the Israeli-Occupied Territories
Ann Arbor (Informed Comment) – The city council of Oslo, Norway, the Scandinavian country’s capital, has passed a decree boycotting the importation of goods from the Israeli-occupied Palestinian territories seized in 1967. The city will also boycott Israeli companies involved in exploiting the resources in the Palestinian West Bank and Gaza. The Oslo city council […]