It is a shame that several authorities have refused permission to the President of Iran to visit the site of the World Trade Center to pay respects. Ahmadinejad arrives today to address the UN general assembly. Permission to visit Ground Zero was requested of and refused by the police department, the US Secret Service and …
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Month:September 2007
UN still won’t recognise Taiwan
The United Nations has once again blocked Taiwan’s quest for membership. A key UN committee rejected a proposal from Taiwan’s allies to put its bid on the agenda of the general assembly, which met in New York in mid-September. This is the 15th consecutive year that Taiwan’s quest for membership of the United Nations has …
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Cronyism still (unfortunately) more important than ability
In the UK, the Sutton Trust charity analysed admissions from 2002-06, and has concluded that state school pupils are losing out. The trust found the number of pupils at the top 30 comprehensives who went to Oxbridge was just a third of what might be expected if based on ability; while at the top 30 …
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US waking up to the reality of Palestine …?
It is surprising to hear US Secretary of State publicly announcing that Palestine must be recognised if peace talks are to make progress. Surprising partly because it is the same person that provided much of the authority for invading Iraq and partly because it is against the wishes of the Israeli propaganda machine which has …
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Building a holonic workplace
This GreenBiz article outlines in a few paragraphs the dimensions of creating a sustainable workplace. A succinct thought-piece on social and environmental considerations internal and external to the workplace.
Vatican’s relationship with China thaws
The rapprochement between China and the Vatican continued in September as the appointment of a bishop by China’s Patriotic Church (catholic) was tacitly approved by the Vatican. Pope Benedict previously initiated reconstruction of the relationship by writing to the Patriotic Church. China severed ties with the Vatican in 1951, angry at the Vatican’s recognition of …
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Tennessee, US, bans execution
Tennessee, made another bid to halt the death penalty in the US by ruling the method of execution inappropriate. This is a step away from recognising that the death penalty itself is inappropriate, though the time until that is recognised at a national, Federal level is uncertain. A Federal judge in Tennessee ruled that the …
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Sub-prime losses estimates rising
Fed Chairman said during testimony to the the House Committee on Financial Services on 20 September that losses from sub-prime mortgages have far exceeded “even the most pessimistic estimates”. This statement is disappointing because it undermines any build-up of confidence that might be encouraged by recent rate cuts and liquidity injections. But worse, his comments …
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Arctic ice shrinkage at new record
The US National Snow and Ice Data Center said the minimum extent of 4.13 million sq km was reached on 16 September. The figure shatters all previous satellite surveys, including the previous record low of 5.32 million sq km measured in 2005. Even the fabled Arctic shipping route from the Atlantic to the Pacific, the …
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Hype over Chinese toys exaggerated
Recent hype about problems with Chinese manufactured goods was used as an excuse by some protectionist politicians and lobbies in the US to push for trade sanctions and even used as a tool to push for revaluation of the Chinese renminbi. The greatest hype surrounded the recall of more than 20 million toys by Mattel. …
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